Star Crossed
by WriteBrain
Summary: Keeping the story MCU, but tying Sigyn into Loki's backstory. The story starts pre-Thor, and I have plans up to post-Avengers as of now. I'm probably going to split the entire story into 3 (or more depending on future movies) separate stories as I go. Each chapter will alternate POV between Loki & Sigyn. Full time in college so be patient, I aim to post at least 1 chapter a week.
1. Chapter 1: At First Sight

At First Sight

Odin had just made the announcement that in six months time, Thor would be crowned the next ruler of Asgard, and Loki was beside himself with jealousy and rage. Why Thor, why couldn't Loki be deemed worthy of the throne of Asgard? Had Odin not said that they were both born to be kings? Had Loki not proven himself time and time again? What more needed to happen for Odin to divert his gaze to the other son standing in Thor's shadow?

After breakfast, Loki quickly ducked out of the banquet hall before Frigga could stop him. His mother could read him like an open book, and he didn't want to burden her with his anger when she should be nothing but happy for her other son, Thor. He shrouded his appearance as one of the Crimson Hawks so he could walk the halls without raising any red flags. Once outside the castle, he changed his appearance to blend in, and made his way to the forests on the outskirts of Asgard. The only thing on his mind was getting as far away as possible from the castle.

Once he knew he was far enough into the woods that nobody would hear him, he started ranting to himself, letting out the anger that he usually buried beneath his cool composure. Nobody ever came out to these parts of Asgard, so when he stepped into a clearing of wildflowers, he didn't expect to see anyone, least of all a young maiden laying in the center of the meadow reading a book with a startled look on her face. At the sight of her, Loki stopped mid-sentence and froze in his tracks. They locked eyes, and for the first time in his life, he was speechless and mesmerized.

Her hair was platinum blonde and sparkled like a million tiny diamonds in the sun, her eyes as blue as the clearest river, lips full and pink as the flowers that surrounded her. He caught his breath as she broke the silence between them.

"Pardon my intrusion, my prince," she said, timidly averting her gaze away as she scrambled to her feet, "but might I inquire as to whether you've lost your way, so far from the castle?"

He regained his bearing and peered at the book at her feet, which she quickly tried to hide behind her. "Stop!" He ordered, and she jumped at his voice. "I apologize, I didn't intend to startle you, but I recognize the book. Are you hiding out here trying to learn magic by yourself?"

"I, um..." she stammered as she looked down and lightly bit her bottom lip. Loki quietly approached her, his new-found curiosity overpowering his forgotten anger. He knelt down and handed her the book, never once taking his eyes off of her face. "I'm sorry," she finally choked out, "I...I should go."

"Please," he said softly, grabbing her wrist gently, "don't go on my account. If you're serious about wanting to learn magic, there truly is no better tutor in all of Asgard than I. What is your name, little one?" He asked, taking notice of how much shorter she was than him, or any other Asgardian for that matter.

"Little one?!" She huffed. "My name certainly isn't 'little one' and I don't much appreciate having my flaws pointed out, so if it's all the same to you, I must be getting back to my father's forge." She immediately regretted her choice of words. The dark prince made her as nervous as he made her curious.

"Forge...Iwaldi is your father?" She stopped in her tracks. "If you're truly taking your leave, allow me to at least walk with you till you're safely out of the woods. I find your presence strangely...soothing," he admitted.

She knew that if he was to accompany her, they'd surely be seen together, and if the news made it to her father that she had been alone in the woods with the trickster prince, she'd never be allowed to leave the house alone again. She sighed as she turned back towards Loki, asking him, "Say I were to take you up on your offer to tutor me, what might be in it for you? I don't have much to offer, and if you're anything like your brother, Thor, then let me assure you now, I'm not quite as...easy as my sisters are."

Loki cringed when she said Thor's name. "I'm **not** my brother," he gritted through his teeth, "and I'm not after your virtue. I find you intriguing, and I'd simply enjoy your company, fully clothed, I assure you. If you'd truly like to learn magic, there are things I can teach you better than some dusty old tome. Now please," he smiled and held out his hand to her, "might I learn your name, beautiful daughter of Iwaldi?"


	2. Chapter 2: The Meadow

The Meadow

"...Beautiful?" Sigyn whispered as she peered up at Loki with a confused look on her face. "I, um, my name is Sigyn. I'm sorry, nobody has ever regarded me as beautiful before. I'm usually in the presence of my sisters, and their beauty far surpasses mine."

"Nonsense, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Now," he said, changing the subject, "let's see what you've already learned." Sigyn knelt down in the meadow and gently touched a flower that hadn't yet bloomed, and it slowly opened against her fingers. Loki chuckled, "That's adorable, you've been playing with the flowers!" She blushed in embarrassment and stood up, dusting a few blades of grass off of her dress. "Hmm, now," he thought out loud, "where to begin? Let's start with fire. Come here and place your hands on top of mine, the same way mine are facing," he said, holding his hands out in front of him with his palms facing up.

Sigyn did as he said, gently resting her hands on top of his. She was surprised that despite the warm summer weather, his hands felt ice cold. She was nervous about using fire magic, and she didn't fully trust the trickster prince. "I'll do it the first time, then you have to focus and do it yourself," he said, and she jumped at the sound of his voice. "Relax. Focus," he said with a stern, serious look on his face. Sigyn took a breath and straightened her posture, and looked down at his hands, waiting.

Loki was still and silent, and she peeked up at his face. "_He is beautiful_," she thought to herself. Then she felt a warmth moving up through her hands, although his hands remained cold; she looked back down and rested her hands slightly more against his. He flashed a glance up at her at the contact, as though being touched was something he wasn't used to. Then a small ball of flame burst from each hand; Sigyn gasped and went to pull her hands away, but Loki's reflexes were faster and he squeezed her hands between his thumbs and pinky fingers.

"Don't pull away like that!" he scolded. "I'm tutoring you, not torturing you. Did you really think I intended to burn you?"

"I'm truly sorry, my prince. I've just never used any magic yet that could harm me, and I'm nervous," she replied.

"Please, when it's just the two of us, there's no need for formalities. Feel free to call me by my given name. What is it that makes you so nervous, the fire or my presence?"

"Both," Sigyn said.

"Both," Loki sighed, "is it fear or intimidation?"

"Fear of the fire," she answered, "and you are quite intimidating, my pr...Loki."

"Am I now?" he laughed. "Well, one can only hope that time will make you more at ease with me. I think that's enough lesson for today. Might I walk with you on your way home?"

"To the edge of the woods, yes," she replied, "but from there I must go alone."

"As you wish," he replied, taking her arm as they walked in silence.

"_This whole day has been utterly unbelievable_," Sigyn thought to herself as they walked through the trees, "_even if I were to tell anyone, I doubt they would believe I came across a royal all the way out here. I wonder what interest he truly has with me. I doubt that I'll ever actually see him again beyond this walk._" She had become so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice that they had nearly reached the edge of the forest.

"Sigyn," he said, "could I persuade you to allow me to escort you the remainder of the way?"

"Not today, Loki," she quietly replied. "Thank you for an interesting day, it was a great break from the ordinary."

"When shall we meet next?" he inquired, still holding her arm in his.

"Next? You were serious about teaching me magic?" She hadn't expected him to honestly want to waste his time on something as trivial as tutoring a stranger. He was a prince, after all; he must have better thinngs to do with his time.

"I'll make myself available when you can take leave of your duties," he replied, breaking her from her thoughts again, "but I'll not let you leave without an answer."

"I must assist my father in the forge the next three days, but I could meet you in the meadow on Thursday, if that's alright with you?"

Loki released her arm but held onto her hand and raised it to his lips. He gently kissed the back of her hand and they locked eyes as he grinned slyly at her. "Until Thursday then, beautiful Sigyn. I'm afraid that you'll haunt my every thought." And before she could reply, he disappeared right before her eyes. She looked around trying to find him, trying to figure out when he had created a copy of himself, but she saw only the trees.

Sigyn wandered the streets back to her father's forge lost in her thoughts. She still couldn't wrap her head around meeting a prince so far from the castle. What were the odds that he walked straight across the one spot in all of the woods where she had been? She had heard him yelling obscenities before she actually saw him, but he fell silent the second his eyes had fallen on her. Sigyn strongly believed that everything happened for a reason, everything in existence was exactly where it was meant to be, when it was meant to be there. But she had already been promised to Theoric by her father; why run across someone who actually seems interested in her now?

"Sigyn," a voice called out from behind her, jarring her from her thoughts as she realized that she had walked right past her father standing outside of his forge, "have you forgotten where you live?" Her father stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a stern look on his face. "You were supposed to be home for lunch to relieve Lofn for the afternoon shift, you're late. Wherever have you wandered off to today? And lost in a daydream, no less," his grimace changed to a smile. "Have you been to see Theoric? You two shall be wed in a few short months, you need to start spending more time getting to know each other."

"No, father, I've not seen Theoric today," she replied, "and I'll see plenty of him after we're married and I'm no longer allowed to keep any friends." Iwaldi sighed. "Forgive me, father, but I've had a rather odd day. Where is Lofn?"

"Snotra has already relieved her in your absence," he replied, "but I'm sure that she'll be happy to see that you've shown up for your shift. I'd like for you to stay late and clean the forge tonight since you were late. I hate to punish you, but this isn't like you to be so careless."

Snotra had been very upset with Sigyn for being late, and lectured her about being responsible before leaving the forge. Sigyn spent the remainder of her shift thinking of Loki as she worked; she kept thinking of how focused his face had been when he had shown her the fire spell, how cold his hands were, and how he had spoken to her as thought she was an equal to him. In truth, she knew her place, and he was so far above her; she didn't believe a daughter of Freya could ever end up with a royal, not with her mother's reputation looming over the heads of her and her sisters.

After an hour, Lofn returned to the forge with their oldest sister, Nanna. Sigyn was just about to lock the door to the forge; Lofn and Nanna sat together on the counter, giggling and braiding each other's hair while Sigyn began to sweep the wooden floor. After she swept, she took two buckets and went outside to the well in the small garden behind the forge.

Iwaldi had made this garden when Freya had been pregnant with Sigyn, in an attempt to make her happy enough to stay faithful to him, but there proved to be nothing that could keep Freya home with her children. Iwaldi was father to Sigyn and her six sisters, but Sigyn was the only one who clearly resembled her Dwarf father. She had his short stature and platinum blonde hair; her sisters had a mix of either golden blonde or dark brunette hair, and they were all tall, as Asgardians should be. There were whispers among their neighbors that only Sigyn was truly Iwaldi's daughter.

Sigyn filled both buckets with water and went back inside to her sisters. She poured both buckets into a bigger tub in the corner of the forge and went to the broom closet behind the counter to get the mop. Lofn and Nanna stopped laughing and watched Sigyn move silently about her duties; it had just dawned on them that their normally talkative sister hadn't said two words to them in the past hour that they had been there. Sigyn began mopping the floor but was soon staring off into space and absentmindedly mopping the same spot on the floor without moving.

"Sigyn!" Lofn lilted, also clapping to get her attention. "Are you here with us, little sister? Are you unwell?" Sigyn jolted and saw the worried looks on her sisters' faces.

"I'm sorry," Sigyn replied, "I think that I'm just tired tonight. Perhaps I'll turn in early to bed."

Lofn and Nanna exchanged curious glances. "Who is he, Sigyn?" Nanna asked, giggling with Lofn.

"Who is who?" Sigyn blushed nervously, trying to finish mopping as quickly as she could to escape the impending interrogation from her sisters.

"Look how red she's turning, Nanna! There _is_ someone new!" Lofn screamed. Both sisters began laughing as Sigyn became flustered and tripped over the mop, crashing to the floor, which only made them laugh harder. Sigyn began laughing with them, just as Iwaldi walked in to check on why the three of them were late for dinner. He meant to scold them, but upon seeing them all giggling like little children he could no longer be angry with them.

He helped Sigyn up off the floor and took the mop from her, quickly finishing the work while his daughters caught their breath. The four of them walked back to Iwaldi's house, and Sigyn excused herself to bed without eating dinner.

She shared a bedroom with all of her sisters, with three sets of bunk beds lining one wall, and a small bed by the door. Nanna was the oldest, so she slept in the single bed. Sigyn was the third youngest, and she slept in one of the top bunks, above Lofn. Each of the bunks, top and bottom, had a small window next to the pillow; Iwaldi had put them in when the girls were younger so that they could fall asleep looking out at the stars.

Sigyn laid alone in the darkened bedroom listening to her sisters chattering over their dinner plates. She turned her back towards the door and unlocked her window, pushing it open and breathing in the warm summer air that rolled in across the water that surrounded Asgard. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, seeing Loki in the meadow, not taking his eyes off of her. One word echoed in her head.

"_Beautiful._'


	3. Chapter 3: Wildflowers

**Author's Note:** _I've written up to Chapter 7 this week, but I'm writing everything on my tablet and I'm having ridiculous complications uploading. I can't upload from the tablet, I have to email it to myself, then retype the entire thing because when I copy/paste it saves with a bunch of code instead of just what I wrote. I'm aiming to get at least Chapter 4 uploaded this weekend, hopefully more. Other than that, thanks for all the comments and faves/follows! Here's the next Loki chapter! Enjoy!_

Wildflowers

Loki had created a copy of himself just before he had taken Sigyn's arm to walk with her; as intrigued as he was by her, he was wary about letting anyone get close. He followed close behind and watched Sigyn as she walked with him in silence, trying to read her body language. He knew she was afraid of being caught with him and they were closing in on the edge of the forest, so he had his copy get her attention.

"Sigyn, could I persuade you to allow me to escort you the remainder of the way?"

"Not today, Loki," she quietly replied. "Thank you for an interesting day, it was a great break from the ordinary."

"When shall we meet next?"

"Next? You were serious about teaching me?" She was too modest. He wondered if she lived in the shadow of her sisters just as he lived beneath Thor's overbearing radiance.

"I'll make myself available when you can take leave of your duties, but I'll not let you leave without an answer." He needed to see her again, something about her drew him in. He'd never felt anything so strong for another person in his life, as if he was meant to stumble upon her in the meadow by some unseen force, and their souls collided like magnets.

"I must assist my father in the forge the next three days, but I could meet you in the meadow this next Thursday, if that's alright with you?"

He made his copy bring her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it and grinning as he made eye contact with her. Her cheeks flushed a warm shade of pink and it took all his restraint not to make her stay; he knew he had to be patient and let things happen at their own pace. He had to let her leave, for the time being, but he knew she felt something too, she was too nervous not to.

"Until Thursday, beautiful Sigyn. I'm afraid you'll haunt my every thought." And with that he pulled back his copy and waited, hidden among the trees, until she left the forest. He concealed himself to blend in and walk back to the castle, and he followed her at a safe distance where she wouldn't suspect him. He had to be sure she got home safely.

He saw that she was almost to Iwaldi's forge, and saw Iwaldi standing outside watching Sigyn walk up the road. Loki almost laughed out loud when she wandered right past her father, lost in thought. He must've really had an effect on her. Waiting until Thursday was going to be torturous.

"Sigyn, have you forgotten where the forge is? You were supposed to be home for lunch to relieve Lofn..." Loki kept walking up the street as Iwaldi scolded her. He felt bad, realizing that she got in trouble for staying with him. He'd have to figure out a way to make it up to her.

He found himself passing Iwaldi's house as he made his way back to the castle. He recognized her sister Nanna outside hanging laundry; his brother Balder had been courting her recently, perhaps he could use that to his advantage.

He made his way up to the castle, his mood so far removed from the anger he felt when he left this morning. He didn't even feel like the same person. He kept his guard up with everyone, but Sigyn had sent his walls crashing down like an avalanche from the second he first laid eyes on her.

When he saw that nobody was around, he changed his cover back to a Crimson Hawk until he got further into the castle. He made his way up to the corridor where his and his brothers' bedchambers were, and removed his cover as he rounded the corner to his room. Frigga was walking near his door.

"Loki," she called out to him, "where have you been hidden away? I've not seen you since you took leave from the banquet hall after breakfast. I wanted to speak to you, I sensed that you were unhappy after your father announced that Thor is to take the throne."

"I was upset this morning, but none of that matters now. I've stumbled across something better suited to spend my time on, rather than waste my energy on petty jealousy. I should be happy for my brother, and I am."

Frigga was speechless. "What is it that has captivated you so?"

"Not what, Mother, but who. I'll not say any more for now, we've only just met this morning."

"Have you met a girl? Are you courting?"

Loki laughed at his mother and smiled as he ducked into his chambers, leaving her questions unanswered in the hallway. She poked her head in and told him not to be late to dinner, then closed his door and went on her way.

He went out onto his balcony and saw the sun setting beyond the water. He looked to his right and found Iwaldi's forge, and Sigyn's house up the road from it. He didn't want to be in the castle; he needed to see her face. This week was going to drive him out of his mind if he had to wait to see her.

"What is happening to me?" he pondered to himself, but subconsciously, he knew. What he didn't think he would ever find in Asgard, what he thought impossible for him to ever find, actually did exist. She seemed to gracefully contrast every aspect of himself, the light to his darkness, the virtue to his mischief, the innocence to his rage. The second he had set his eyes on her that morning, a calm had washed over him and taken away all of the anger he'd had.

He stood for a moment longer, then left for dinner. He and Frigga exchanged glances when he walked in, and she could tell that he was on edge. She knew that as secretive as her youngest son was, he would most likely keep this mystery girl private, at least for the time being.

Odin, Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three commanded most of the dinner conversation, and only Frigga noticed that Loki ate his food quicker than usual. When he had finished eating, he shot her a quick glance, and she nodded and smiled; he took her approval and silently left the banquet hall.

He left the castle, this time not bothering to conceal himself, and made his way through the emptying streets. He wandered aimlessly, trying to stay as far from Sigyn's house as he could. He paced the streets for two hours before he gave in and walked past Iwaldi's house.

The streets were empty by then, and most of the houses were dark, their residents asleep in their beds. Iwaldi's house was no different, and he walked past the house, which was at the end of the road overlooking the water, and out to the water's edge. He stood there for a few minutes, silently taking in the view that she had every night.

As he turned to leave, he noticed that one of the six small windows on the side of Iwaldi's house was propped open. He guessed that with all the tiny windows, it might be the sisters' bedroom. Curiosity got the best of him to risk a chance to see Sigyn and he went to the open window and peeked in.

It turned out that it was indeed Sigyn's window, and his breath caught in his throat. She looked so peaceful as she slept. He didn't want to stay long, afraid that he might wake one of her sisters. As he turned away, he thought he saw something written in the dew on the glass of her window, and he leaned in closer to make it out.

He froze when he saw it, his mouth went dry and he felt his pulse quickening. _**Loki**_. She had written his name on the window. She fell asleep thinking of him. He couldn't think, couldn't move. She was still thinking about him hours after they'd parted. He needed to leave, he had to get far away from there and think. He took two steps away then stopped and went back to her window.

Loki cupped his hands together and thought of the meadow where they'd met. He materialized a small pink wildflower and placed it on her pillow. Then he glanced at the writing on the window again and left.

He made his way back to the castle. It was close to sunrise when he crawled into his bed. Sleep didn't come to him that night. He tossed and turned, fighting with racing thoughts.

"_She wrote my name on her window_."

He felt desperate, maybe he could convince Balder to visit Nanna, or Frigga to visit Freya. Odin would be of no help to him, and Thor would sooner laugh in Loki's face. Perhaps he could come up with something urgent he needed commissioned by Iwaldi.

He laid in his bed watching the sun come up, and gave up on trying to sleep. Everything was happening so fast. He went out onto his balcony and looked towards her house. Everything was still and quiet. He sighed to himself and went back inside, going into his bathroom and drawing himself a bath.

Afterwards, he quickly dressed and was the first one into the banquet hall for breakfast. He made himself a small plate and ate as fast as he could before his family started showing up. Just as he finished eating, Odin and Frigga walked in together.

"Did you sleep well, Loki?" Frigga asked privately, as Odin went over to get his food.

"Not a wink, Mother," he said, as she noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

"Loki," she scolded, "that isn't healthy. I can use magic to help you sleep, if you'd like?"

"That's not necessary, Mother," he replied as he left the banquet hall, "but thank you for offering. I'm going to spend the day in the Library. I'll sleep once I'm tired."

Loki kept himself occupied in the Library, figuring out which spells to teach Sigyn on Thursday. He couldn't start with anything too strong or too dangerous; she needed to trust not only him, but also herself, before she could learn more difficult black magic.

Every time he stopped to eat or sleep, all he could think of was Sigyn. Her eyes, her hair, her voice; he was so haunted by her. He tried to stay busy enough that he kept his mind off of her, but it was easier said than done.

By Wednesday afternoon, he had run out of things to do and was pacing the halls of the castle. Occasionally he would go out onto the balcony in his chambers and look out at Iwaldi's properties far below in the distance. Less than a day left and he'd have her back. The time left was going by so slow, though, and he was restless.

He returned to wandering through the castle and came across his older brother Balder returning from visiting with his fiancee, Nanna, who was Sigyn's oldest sister.

"Hello, Brother," Balder said when he saw Loki. "How has your day been?"

"Not well. Have you time to talk?" Loki asked. Balder knew his younger brother well enough to know he had to be desperate if he wanted help from any of his brothers.

"I've nothing else planned today, except for sleep. What's ailing you?"

"How did you know?" Loki asked as they walked through the castle halls.

"How did I know _what_, exactly?"

"That Nanna was the One?"

"Ah, so someone's caught your eye," Balder chuckled. "When she's the first thing on your mind when you wake each morning, and the last thing as you fall asleep every night. When you hear her name, and your heart beats faster; when you see her from afar, and it's hard to breathe. When you contemplate what your children might look like. It's hard to understand until you've experienced it for yourself. But when you do, you'll know."

"Was it the same for Nanna?"

"No, I had to work to earn her attention. But ever since I did, she hasn't strayed from me; it is as though we're already married, our wedding will simply be a formality. It is different for everyone, though. I've heard that some fall in love mutually, like Father and Mother did; however, some others never win their love, such is the case of Nanna's parents, Iwaldi and Freya.

"My nerves are a wreck," Loki confessed to Balder.

"That's because it's real," Balder replied as they reached his door.

"That doesn't help my predicament. I haven't seen her since Sunday, and can't see her still until tomorrow."

"Have patience, Loki. You can't rush these things. Especially if she doesn't feel it yet, you don't want to scare her off if you feel more than she does," Balder said, then went into his chambers, leaving Loki alone again.

He showed his face at dinner, mainly to placate his mother and keep up the ruse that nothing was wrong. With nothing else to do except retrace the same paths he had been walking for the last two days, he ventured outside of the castle. He knew where he would end up, and that was why he had stayed cooped up inside all week. He didn't waste as much time wandering the streets as he did on Sunday night; after a half hour he walked towards Iwaldi's house.

The sun was just starting to set as the house came into view. The direction he came from hindered him from seeing the side of the house where the clothesline was, until it was too late.

Lofn and Sigyn were taking down clean laundry from the clothesline. They were both giggling over something he hadn't heard. Sigyn had her back to him, but Lofn saw him and immediately stopped laughing.

"What's wrong?" Sigyn asked her sister.

"Good evening, my prince," Lofn said, nudging Sigyn with a smile. He wondered if she'd told her sisters about their meeting.

"Good evening," Sigyn said as she spun around to face him. That's when he saw it, the flower he'd left her was stuck in her hair, tucked behind her left ear. Loki was trying to keep his composure, especially with Lofn there. Part of him wanted to grab Sigyn's hand and just run, take her away somewhere that he didn't have to keep up his icy exterior.

"_Half a day more_," he thought to himself, "_just hold it together for one more night_."


	4. Chapter 4: Thursday

Thursday

Sigyn woke up about an hour later as her sisters were getting into their beds. Her window was still open and now fogged up by the humidity in the air. She laid in bed wondering if Loki was still awake. She was so anxious for Thursday; there was so much that he could teach her in magic.

She looked out the window at the stars and started counting them until she was about to fall asleep. In the hazy feeling when she could barely keep her eyes open, she reached her arm out to the window and traced Loki's name on it with her finger. She knew it would be faded away by morning, so her father and sisters wouldn't see it. She tucked her arm back under the blankets and fell back to sleep.

Monday morning, Sigyn opened her eyes to find a wildflower on her pillow. It was the same kind of flower from the meadow. She leapt from her bed and ran outside in her nightgown, half expecting to find Loki there. It _had_ to have been him who left her the flower; nobody else knew about the meadow.

She went back inside, ignoring the odd looks from her family, and changed her clothes. After she did her hair, she tucked the flower behind her left ear.

"Where did you find that flower?" Nanna asked as Sigyn sat down to breakfast. "It looks adorable with your hair color."

"My secret admirer left it on my pillow while I slept," Sigyn replied, and her sisters all laughed, thinking that she was joking.

Monday was her least favorite day of the week because it was her longest shift at her father's forge, but today didn't seem as bad because the work kept her preoccupied and helped the day pass faster. She spent all day busy at work and went to bed right after dinner.

She laid in her bed thinking of how she had never paid attention to the monotony of her life before, but she also never had anything new to look forward to either. Now, she was so excited for Thursday, especially if it _had_ been him who left the flower. That would mean, though, that he had wandered down from the castle in the middle of the night, and also meant that he had probably seen his name written on her window.

At the realization that he might be as smitten with her as she was with him, she smiled to herself. Her sisters didn't know because they based their views of him on his reputation, but Sigyn had been attracted to him for years. Every time there was a royal banquet or ball, most of her sisters would swoon over Thor, but Sigyn had always secretly hoped that Loki would ask her to dance. He never did though, he never danced with anyone. He would stay just long enough to appease his mother, then he would sneak out when her back was turned.

Physical attraction aside, she was so intrigued by their interaction and how he had treated her as an equal, even letting her call him by his name. She plucked the flower from her hair and twirled it in her fingers. She smiled as she used her magic to perk it up before laying it down on her pillow where she had found it.

Lofn quietly came into the room. "Sigyn, are you awake?" she whispered.

Sigyn sat up in her bunk, "Barely. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. I'm just really curious about your mystery man. Don't bother trying to deny it, your blushing gave it away last night and you've been nursing that flower in your hair all day as though it were a jewel. Who is he? I promise not to tell, but I'm positively _dying_ to know."

"I can't say, Lofn."

"Why not? Is it a royal?" Sigyn was glad that Lofn couldn't see her blushing again in the darkened room. "Is it Thor?"

"No, it's not Thor."

"Oh," Lofn sighed. "You didn't answer the first question, though!" She paused, thinking, then gasped. "It isn't Loki, is it?!" she yelled.

"Keep your voice down, Lofn!" Sigyn covered Lofn's mouth with her hand. "Please!" She took her hand away.

Lofn had a huge grin on her face. "It _is_ Loki," she whispered. "I don't know what you see in him, but your secret is safe with me."

"Please," Sigyn begged, "this _must_ stay between you and I."

"You have my word, little sister. When are you to see him next?"

"Thursday. I'm so nervous. I've never felt this way about anybody before, it feels like lightning running through my body."

"You're falling for him! What are you going to do about Theoric?"

Sigyn sighed. "I hadn't thought about that yet. I'll not go against Father's decision for me to wed Theoric. But for now, I'm nobody's wife."

Lofn kissed Sigyn on her forehead before climbing into her own bed, below Sigyn's. "Be careful, Sigyn. Don't get in over your head."

Sigyn drifted off to sleep anxious about Thursday.

Tuesday and Wednesday were uneventful; Sigyn did her duties at her father's forge, and kept herself preoccupied with her sisters.

After her shift on Wednesday evening, Lofn asked her to help take down the laundry. The two sisters were joking about Var's cooking when suddenly Lofn fell silent.

"What's wrong?" Sigyn asked. Lofn looked nervous.

"Good evening, my prince," Lofn said, nudging Sigyn.

"_Loki,_" Sigyn thought.

"Good evening," Sigyn said as she spun around to face him, smiling with the flower still tucked behind her left ear, kept new by her magic. Loki looked as though he hadn't slept in days. "Are you well?" she asked him worriedly.

"Might we speak privately?" he asked, looking from Sigyn to Lofn. Lofn nodded and gathered the clean laundry.

"The two of you might want to talk away from the house," Lofn suggested, "lest Father or our other sisters were to see you. Gossip spreads like wildfire." She went inside the house, shutting the door tight behind her.

"Is everything alright?" Sigyn asked.

"Walk with me," Loki insisted. "I know a beautiful place to watch the sunset, I'd like to show you. Unless you're busy?"

Sigyn sat on the small, old wooden fence that separated the front yard from the road and swung her legs over. She grabbed Loki's hand, pulling him away down the road.

"Let's go before my father comes outside!"

"Get us out of sight and I'll use magic to hide us, make us look differently."

They ran around the corner, out of sight of her house, and she pulled him down a narrow path between two of her neighbors' houses. She stopped and turned towards him with her back up against the wall as he caught his breath; they were mere inches from each other in the cramped alleyway. She smiled up at him but his eyes were wide, his chest rising and falling slow and deep against the bright light of the impending sunset. He looked petrified.

"Do it, Loki," she whispered, breaking the silence.

"Sigyn," he breathed her name, leaning his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. She thought for a moment he might kiss her, but she couldn't let him do it, not yet, not here.

"Loki, we can't stay here. You need to disguise us or I'll have to go home."

He opened his eyes and straightened his posture. He looped her arm in his, and a warm glow washed over them. Sigyn looked at Loki but he looked like an older man, no longer resembling himself at all. "Don't let go of my arm, and don't speak to anyone," he instructed, "I can't change your voice."

They walked back to the edge of the alley, checking that the coast was clear before stepping out onto the road. They made their way down the road, and were about to turn the corner when Theoric came around the corner from the other direction. Sigyn squeezed her grip on Loki's arm nervously as he passed them, heading in the direction of Iwaldi's house. Loki looked down at her for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, then watched Theoric as he walked by. They made eye contact and Loki nodded at Theoric and smiled.

"Good evening," Theoric said before continuing on his way.

"What, might I ask, was _that_ about?" Loki asked when they were walking alone again.

"I'll explain once we get to wherever you wanted to take me," she replied, "but we have to move. They're going to come looking for me."

He nodded, intertwining his fingers between hers as their appearances changed again. "Let's get moving then."

They ran towards the entrance to the woods, but it was still a few blocks away. Her much shorter legs felt like they would give out by the time they reached the treeline; Loki was practically dragging her down the road. As soon as they were into the forest, he took their cover off, then swept her up into his arms.

"I'm sorry if I pulled your arm too hard. Are you alright?"

"**SIGYN!**" They heard multiple voices behind them; Iwaldi and Theoric were looking for her. Loki turned back for a moment.

"Loki," she said, trying to wiggle out of his arms. "They're too close, let me just go home. I'll still see you tomorrow."

"What do _you_ want?" He locked eyes with her and she stopped squirming.

"I want _you_, Loki," she whispered.

She froze. "_Did I really just say that? I didn't...did I?_" She felt like her heart might burst; it was hammering in her ears.

He smirked for a second when he heard it, then turned away from the shouting and carried Sigyn into the woods until they could no longer hear them. He gently put her down on her feet, still holding her hand as they walked.

"Where are we going?"

"I wanted to watch the sun setting over the water from the beach on the other side of the forest. It's not much farther," Loki replied.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, until they reached the tree line. Sigyn let go of his hand and kicked her shoes off in the sand. Loki stood against a tree, watching her curiously.

"Sigyn?"

She spun back towards him. "Yes, my prince?" she said jokingly, giving him an over-exaggerated curtsy. He laughed at her, shaking his head.

"Would I be out of line if I kissed you?" Sigyn noticed his breathing was the same as it had been in the alley. She walked over to him, her pulse racing.

When she was right in front of him, she stopped. He was standing still, watching her every move. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, "You'll have to catch me first," and kissed his cheek before playfully pushing him down and running onto the beach.


	5. Chapter 5: Sunset on the Beach

Sunset on the Beach

"Do it, Loki," she whispered.

"_I'd do anything,_" he thought, "_whatever you want._"

"Sigyn," he breathed her name, leaning his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. He was so close to her, it was hard to stand it.

"Loki, we can't stay here. You need to disguise us or I'll have to go home."

"_No. You can't go. Not yet. Please._"

He stood up and looped her arm in his, and a warm glow washed over them. He made her look completely different so they could get away, but he hated not being able to see her face. "Don't let go of my arm, and don't speak to anyone," he instructed, "I can't change your voice."

They left the alley, making sure the coast was clear before stepping out and making their way down the road. Just as they were about to turn the corner, a man came around the corner from the other direction. Loki felt Sigyn dig her fingernails into his arm as they passed him. He made eye contact with Loki as they passed each other, and Loki nodded at him and smiled.

"Good evening," he spoke before continuing on his way towards Iwaldi's house.

"What, might I ask, was _that_ about?" Loki asked when they were walking alone again. Sigyn knew him, that was obvious. But he couldn't tell what it was that made her so nervous.

"I'll explain once we get to wherever you wanted to take me," she quickly replied, "but we have to move. They're going to come looking for me."

He nodded, intertwining their fingers between hers as he changed their appearances again. "Let's get moving then."

He started running with her towards the woods, but he could tell that she was getting tired quicker than him. By the end of the road leading to the woods, he was pulling her to keep her moving. As soon as they were into the forest he took their cover off, then swept her up into his arms.

"I'm sorry if I pulled your arm too hard. Are you alright?"

"**SIGYN!**" They heard multiple voices behind them; he recognized her father and the man they had just passed. Loki turned back to listen.

"Loki," she said, trying to wiggle out of his arms. "They're too close, just let me go home. I'll still see you tomorrow."

"_We can still go. Don't leave._"

"What do _you_ want?" He locked eyes with her and she stopped squirming.

"I want _you_, Loki," she whispered.

"_I don't deserve her. She's...everything now._"

He smirked for a second when he heard it, then turned away from the shouting and carried Sigyn into the woods until they could no longer hear them. He gently put her down on her feet, still holding her hand as they walked.

"Where are we going?"

"I wanted to watch the sun setting over the water from the beach on the other side of the forest. It's not much farther," Loki replied.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, until they reached the tree line. Sigyn let go of his hand and he leaned against a tree and watched curiously as she kicked her shoes off in the sand.

"Sigyn?"

She spun back towards him. "Yes, my prince?" she said jokingly, giving him an over-exaggerated curtsy. He laughed at her, shaking his head.

"Would I be out of line if I kissed you?"

"_I hope I'm not being too forward. She is so beautiful._"

Loki was standing still, watching her every move as she walked back to him. When Sigyn was right in front of him, she stopped, standing up on her tiptoes, and whispered in his ear, "You'll have to catch me first," and kissed his cheek before playfully pushing him down and running onto the beach.

He sat there dumbfounded for a minute as she ran across the sand, reaching up and touching his cheek where her lips had just grazed his skin. The sky was a rainbow of colors as the sun met the horizon. She reached the water and turned back towards him, backing up a few steps so that the waves ran over her bare feet. Part of him didn't want to move, he just wanted to watch her and save the memory.

"_No, don't be a fool,_" he thought to himself, "_now move, go, get up. She's not going anywhere, there will be a million more memories._"

He sat a moment longer while he pulled off his boots, tossing them down next to her shoes, and rolled up the legs of his pants. She was twirling in the waves and didn't notice as he walked right up to her, until he was a foot away from her. She stopped spinning and looked like she was about to run, but he closed the gap between them.

"_Do it!_" he silently screamed at himself.

Before she could move, he reached up and weaved his fingers into her hair, leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Sigyn reached out and grabbed at his clothes, pulling their bodies closer together. She exhaled through her nose and let out a whimper s they began kissing each other. After a minute they stopped to catch their breath, and they both laughed nervously. She let go of her grip on his clothes, slowly looking up at him and biting her lip the same way she did the first time he saw her, when she had tried to hide her book from him.

She grabbed his hand and they walked out of the waves and sat down together in the sand watching the sun go down. She rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Who was that man who was headed to your house?"

Sigyn sighed and sat up, draping her arms over her knees. "About that..." She hesitated before continuing, "my father was afraid that I wouldn't find a suitor because nobody was courting me, and he arranged my marriage. His name is Theoric, he's one of your father's Crimson Hawks."

Loki balled his hands into fists. "_I can't lose her now._"

"Do you love him?"

"No," she shook her head, "he's tried to be nice in front of my father, but there's something else about him that makes me feel uncomfortable."

"How do I make you feel?"

"Perfect, absolutely perfect. I just wish that you'd found me earlier. I know this can't last, I can't go against my father."

"_No. Damn it all, no. There has to be a way to stop this._"

"When is the wedding?" he asked, trying to hide the anger that was creeping in.

"I have about a month left." Sigyn hugged her legs and rested her chin on top of her knees, looking out at the waves for a moment, then buried her face in her arms. It took Loki a minute to realize that she was crying.

"Hey, no no, don't cry. Why are you crying?"

"I don't want to lose you," she replied through her tears. "I know it's happening fast, but I feel different when I'm around you, like there's always been something missing before we met."

"Sigyn, look at me," he said, moving in front of her and wiping her tears back with his thumbs. "I can't even begin to stress how much I know exactly what you're feeling." She peered up at him, and he couldn't stand seeing her like this. He cupped her chin in his hand and softly stroked his thumb against he cheek.

"Loki, I can't..." He didn't let her finish, kissing her as he laid her back on the sand behind her. He paused and they made eye contact for a split second, before she wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him closer, and he kissed his way along her jaw, burying his face in her hair and gently biting her neck. Sigyn gasped, her back arching up against him. She wove her hands into his hair, tugging at the hair on the back of his head as he pulled the shoulder of her dress down just enough that he could continue to kiss along her skin.

"Loki," she whispered, and he looked up at her. The daylight was almost completely gone, her face shrouded in shadow. He moved back up to her lips, and they laid there kissing each other as the night crept in. He knew eventually she'd say she needed to go home; he dreaded hearing it, though. He'd give anything to stay here with her forever. Taking her home meant letting it sink in that she was about to marry someone else.

At that thought, he pulled away from her, kissing her forehead as he stood up. She lifted herself up on her elbows, watching him.

"We should start heading back soon. I'm already going to get an earful, the later I go home the worse it'll be." His heart sank.

"Do you really want to go? I'll stay the night here with you," he pleaded, "just say the word."

Sigyn ran her hand through her hair, going over the option in her head. "I would, but the consequences won't be good for me if I don't go home at all."

They both put their shoes back on and started the way back through the woods, Loki holding Sigyn's hand in his left and making a flame from his right hand so they could see their way in the dark.

"I'm guessing that you would rather I not walk with you to your house?"

"That's probably for the best. I'll still be at the meadow tomorrow; I still want you to teach me magic."

"I'll need to take care of something in the early morning, but I'll meet you there right afterwards."

They were almost at the edge of the woods, almost to where she'd have to walk on alone. He'd still follow her, unseen, to make sure she got home. She tugged on his hand and broke her train of thought. As he turned to see her face, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. Everything he'd been thinking about melted away at her touch. He closed his eyes and reached out to hold her but she stepped back and whispered, "I love you, Loki. Only you."

He saw tears welling up in her eyes again, but she turned and ran before he could react. He covered his appearance and walked after her, rounding the corner just in time to see her go into her father's house. He sighed and started making his way back up to the castle.

An hour later, Loki walked into the banquet hall to find more people there than usual. Thor was sitting at the head of a full table; Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg were in the seats closest to him, and almost all of the rest of the seats were filled by maidens and some of Odin's Crimson Hawks. Thor caught sight of him and yelled across the banquet hall.

"Brother, come join us!" Everyone turned to watch Loki cross the room. He froze for a split second when he recognized Theoric sitting halfway down the table, with a maiden on each side fawning over him. He didn't hesitate long enough for anyone to notice, but the thought crossed his mind whether anyone would notice if he used magic to pull Theoric's chair out from beneath him.

Loki took an empty seat next to Volstagg, and Thor slid a stein of ale to his younger brother. He sipped it as he tuned out everyone in the room except for Theoric.

"What are we going to do after you marry little Sigyn?" the blonde on Theoric's right asked him. Loki winced, hearing her name on the whore's tongue.

"We'll be so lonely without you," the brunette on his left added. "You know we satisfy you better than she ever could."

Theoric chugged his drink, which clearly wasn't his first of the night. "Ladies, ladies, I give it a week at best. Once I break her in and make sure she knows how to be a good little wife, I'll be right back to the both of you."

Loki felt sick. On the way up to the castle he'd fought with himself about whether he should give Theoric a chance, that maybe he actually loved Sigyn the same as Loki did. Now, though, he wanted to snap the fool's neck. He had no intention to be a husband, he merely wanted a virgin and a housekeeper. He could feel the rage that Sigyn had eliminated in him over the past week creeping back up, his blood felt as though it was about to reach a boiling point. Loki finished his drink, then quickly got up and left for his bedchambers.

"Brother, you're leaving already?" Thor called after him, but Loki ignored him and kept walking. Thor shrugged and turned back to his friends.

Loki changed direction when he got to the end of the corridor, instead going to his parents' chambers. It was getting late but hopefully he could resolve this right now. He knocked and waited until his mother came to the door.

"Loki, what's wrong?"

"I need to speak with Father, it's urgent." She opened the door more for him to enter the room, and he saw Odin standing next to their bed.

"What is it?"

"I need you to break off an engagement," he started, "I've come to find out that Theoric has no intentions of doing right by Iwaldi's daughter, Sigyn, and I can't allow her to be subjected to the things I just overheard him suggesting."

Frigga put a hand on Loki's shoulder to try to calm him, but he moved away from her touch.

"What proof have you of this, boy?"

"I just heard it with my own ears, the vile swine is in our banquet hall dining with Thor. There are two whores falling all over him and he's speaking of how he has no intention of being faithful to Sigyn. I can't let that happen to her."

"Did anyone else hear this?"

"I assume not. If anyone did, they certainly weren't phased by it."

"I'll not break off a marriage without proof. You are not to see her again, am I clear? She's already intended for him. Not you. Don't meddle. Goodnight, Loki."

"But, Father..."

"**Goodnight**, boy."

Loki stormed out of his parents' bedchambers in an even worse mood than when he went in. He walked past the banquet hall again on his way back to the chambers, peeking in out of the corner of his eye. One of the whores was now in Theoric's lap, kissing him.

Something in Loki snapped. He walked back into the room. As soon as Thor saw him, he tried offering Loki another drink, but Loki again ignored him. He went straight to Theoric, grabbing the arm of the blonde in his lap and forcibly pushing her across the room. Theoric stood up with an angry look on his face and the two of them squared up to each other.

Thor ran over to his brother and his friend. "What's going on here?"

"This waste of breath and his lack of concern for his future bride are utterly disgusting."

"Oh," said Theoric, "was it _you_ who ran off with her today? Your little stunt pushed up our wedding, so thank you for that. I'll be buried inside her in two nights, whether she likes it or not."

Loki's fist connected with Theoric's eye with a sickening crack. "I will die before I let that happen."

Loki moved to attack him again, but Volstagg lifted Loki up off of the ground and carried him, screaming obscenities and arms flailing, out of the banquet hall.

"I understand the nobility behind your actions," Volstagg said, once Loki calmed down, "but you're making her situation worse. Go sleep it off."

Loki went back to his chambers, but there was no sleep to come that night. He had to stop Theoric from marrying Sigyn. He spent the night pouring over his books; with all of his abilities, there had to be some spell he could do to help him fix this.


	6. Chapter 6: Wedding Day

Wedding Day

"Hey, no no, don't cry. Why are you crying?"

"I don't want to lose you," Sigyn replied through her tears. "I know it's happening fast, but I feel different when I'm around you, like there's always been something missing before we met."

"Sigyn, look at me," he said, moving in front of her and wiping her tears back with his thumbs. "I can't even begin to stress how much I know exactly what you're feeling." She peered up at him through her tears. He cupped her chin in his hand and softly stroked his thumb against her cheek.

"Loki, I can't..." He didn't let her finish, kissing her as he laid her back on the sand behind her. He paused and they made eye contact for a split second, before she wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him closer, and he kissed his way along her jaw, burying his face in her hair and gently biting her neck. She gasped, her back arching up against him. She wove her hands into his hair, tugging at the hair on the back of his head as he pulled the shoulder of her dress down just enough that he could continue to kiss along her skin.

"Loki," she whispered, and he looked up at her. The daylight was almost completely gone, her face shrouded in shadow. He moved back up to her lips, and they laid there kissing each other as the night crept in. She knew she couldn't stay much longer; there would definitely be repercussions from her father when she went home.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, he pulled away from her, kissing her forehead as he stood up. She lifted herself up on her elbows, watching him.

"We should start heading back soon. I'm already going to get an earful, the later I go home, the worse it'll be." She immediately regretted having said it.

"Do you really want to go? I'll stay the night here with you," he pleaded, "just say the word."

Sigyn ran her hand through her hair, going over the option in her head. "I would, but the consequences won't be good for me if I don't go home _at all_."

They both put their shoes back on and started on their way back through the woods, Loki holding Sigyn's hand in his left, and making a flame from his right hand so they could see their way in the dark.

"I'm guessing that you would rather I not walk with you to your house?"

"That's probably for the best. I'll still be at the meadow tomorrow; I still want you to teach me magic."

"I'll need to take care of something in the early morning, but I'll meet you there right afterwards."

They were almost at the edge of the woods, almost to where she'd have to walk on alone. She tugged on his hand and broke his train of thought. As he turned to see her face, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. She watched as he closed his eyes and reached out to hold her, but she stepped back and whispered, "I love you, Loki. Only you."

Tears began welling up in her eyes again, but she turned and ran before he could react. She didn't stop running until she was through her front door; there was no stopping the tears now.

Her father sat at the table, looking furious with his arms crossed over his chest.

"**Where have you been?**" he thundered. "**You****_ knew_**** that Theoric was coming to the house today, yet you ran off into the night. I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight. You are not to leave this house alone under ****_any_**** circumstance, and you shall be wed in two days. You are becoming too unruly, Sigyn.**"

She'd never see Loki again. That was it. No, she'd get away tomorrow, somehow. She had to _at least_ say goodbye.

She went to her bedroom, all of her sisters watching the door as she came in. Lofn ran to her and hugged her close, trying to calm her.

"Think of all the pretty dresses you get to try on tomorrow!"

"And we'll braid your hair!"

"You'll be such a beautiful bride!"

Her sisters were trying to help, but at the last line, she lost it. "With the wrong groom," Sigyn cried.

Lofn shushed her sisters and put Sigyn into her bed. They all listened as she bawled her eyes dry and finally fell asleep.

When Sigyn awoke the next morning, Lofn was waiting for her.

"I know you want to go see him. And I know Father won't allow you to leave alone. So get dressed, I'm going to help you."

Sigyn scrambled out of her bed and threw on a clean dress from her bureau.

"We're going to the marker to look at ribbons for her hair," Lofn lied to their father as they walked out.

"You stay together. If you lose sight of Sigyn, you are to tell me immediately."

Lofn nodded, looping her arm through her sister's and leaving the house together.

"Where are you supposed to meet him?" she asked after they had closed the front door.

"In a meadow of wildflowers in the woods, where we first met." Sigyn looked depressed, trying her hardest to hold back tears.

They made their way through the trees to the meadow, and found it empty. Sigyn sat down in the center. "Can we just wait here awhile, Lofn?"

"Sure," she replied, sitting down next to Sigyn. They sat there in silence, Lofn rubbing Sigyn's back as she tried to hold back tears.

About fifteen minutes later, Loki arrived in the meadow, out of breath and distressed. "I saw you...heading into...the woods...from my balcony," he huffed, "you...can't...marry...Theoric...Sigyn, he's...going to...rape you."

Both of the sisters were stunned. Sigyn jumped up and ran to Loki, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. Lofn slowly climbed to her feet and sighed.

"I doubt that you would make such accusations without just cause, my prince. But there's nothing that either of you can do about it now," Lofn said. "Father has forbidden Sigyn from seeing you, so he'll just see it as a lie to postpone the wedding. And I take it you've had equally bad luck in the matter."

"I overheard Theoric last night, bragging about it to his whores. My father wouldn't hear it. He said that I didn't have enough proof. Even with eyewitnesses, not enough proof," Loki sighed.

"Just be there tomorrow," Sigyn spoke up, "just be at the wedding. If I see you, it'll help me be strong. I'll just think of you when he..." she trailed off.

"I would _**never**_ hurt you like that!" he replied angrily, not at her, but at his lack of options. "I'll be there, I promise you."

"Sigyn, we can't stay here much longer," Lofn said, "we've already lied to Father."

Loki kissed Sigyn before Lofn pulled her away to leave. "Whether you can see me or not, I swear I'll be right by your side."

And with that, the sisters left the meadow, leaving Loki behind. Lofn and Sigyn spent the rest of the day getting Sigyn's dress ready for the next morning. Sigyn joined her family at dinner, but barely touched her food. She couldn't bring herself to eat with everything she was going through. After dinner, Sigyn went straight to bed, too emotionally exhausted from the day's events. She kept thinking about what Loki said. "_**Sigyn, he's...going to...rape you.**_" And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

In the morning, Sigyn awoke to her mother's face. It was a rare occasion when Freya came around to see her daughters; she didn't have a nurturing bone in her body.

"Up, up, up! We have to make you look breathtaking!" Freya remarked, "and from the look of the bird's nest in your hair and the bags under your eyes, it won't be an easy task."

Nanna came in with breakfast for Sigyn, but she still refused to eat. Her mother and sisters set about fixing Sigyn's hair and makeup. Two hours later, they finished and prepared to move up to the castle; Odin would be performing the ceremony in his throne room.

The family made their way up to the castle, Sigyn not taking her eyes off of the ground. The seats were already starting to fill in the throne room; whenever there was a wedding on Asgard, every last Asgardian was in attendance.

Sigyn was ushered into the dressing room, and her family left her alone while they went to speak to Odin and Frigga. Sigyn went out onto the balcony and contemplated jumping.

"I know what you're thinking," she heard Loki's voice behind her, "and if you jump, I'm jumping after you."

She spun around to look at him. "Are you really here?"

"No, it's a projection. I'm not far though. I can't stay long, your family will be in here any moment. Just remember what I told you, just because you don't see me, it doesn't mean I'm not here." And with that he disappeared just as the door opened and her mother and sisters all filed in, leaving Sigyn more confused than ever.

She felt so numb. Why did he come in and torture her with seeing him when she was just going to lose him anyway? She stared out the balcony window blankly as her family moved around her, getting her into her wedding dress. They were giving her away to a man who didn't love her, yet nobody seemed to have a problem with this.

"Perfect!" Freya exclaimed, clapping her hands and breaking Sigyn's train of thought. "It's time, my littlest one!"

Her sisters filed out and began walking down the aisle towards the throne. Sigyn felt tears pooling in her eyes again and her hands were shaking. She just wanted to run in the other direction, far from the castle. She was the last one to leave the room and heard a whisper over her shoulder, low enough that only she could hear it.

"Breathe. I'm here, love. I promise you it **will** be alright. Just breathe."

She looked back, hoping to see him one more time, but the room was empty. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as she met Iwaldi outside the dressing room and they began walking down the aisle towards the throne, where she could see Odin and Theoric waiting.

As they neared the end of the aisle, she started frantically scanning the faces of the royals looking for Loki, but he wasn't there.

"_He wouldn't have lied...would he? Not when I need him most._"

He should have been with Frigga and his brothers. Frigga looked at Sigyn sadly, as though she knew how her son had felt about her.

Theoric stepped down and Iwaldi passed her hand to him, then went to take a seat. She looked up at Theoric, and he grinned at her, leading her back up to Odin.

Odin began reading their vows, looking at Theoric. "Repeat after me. I vow to be faithful to my bride, to keep watch over her, and to honor this marriage, and this marriage alone, until the end of time itself."

"_But what if he intends to do __**none**__ of those things,_" Sigyn thought to herself. Her eyes scanned the rows of people in attendance. "_Damn it, Loki, where are you?_"

"Sigyn," Odin's voice boomed, "repeat after me. I vow to be faithful to my groom, to keep watch over him, and to honor this marriage, and this marriage alone, until the end of time itself." She did as she was told. Odin turned to Theoric. "I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride."

He leaned in to kiss her; she closed her eyes tight. "_Just think of Loki._" His lips touched hers. She hated the way his beard felt. But then something changed, she felt a glow wash over her and didn't feel his beard anymore. People around them started yelling.

"What have you done, boy?!" Odin shouted. She opened her eyes. "Loki! I warned you against meddling with this wedding. Do you not dare heed the orders of your father, of your **king**?! Foolish child." Odin turned to face Sigyn. "Sigyn, I apologize, my dear. This marriage will be annulled immediately."

Loki opened his mouth to argue, but Odin shouted at him. "Do not try my patience right now! I will deal with you after I fix the problems you have created."

"No, Allfather," Sigyn spoke up, "I accept this marriage. I do not wish for it to be annulled." Loki smiled at her.

Odin seemed to be deep in thought before he spoke again. "Then, for your commitment to these unforeseen circumstances, I hereby deem you the Goddess of Fidelity and Bonds."

Before anyone else could object, Loki grabbed Sigyn's hand and they both vanished from the throne room, reappearing within his chambers.

"Is this real, or have I just fainted at the altar?" She was still a shaking nervous wreck.

"I told you that I would keep you safe," he wrapped his arms around her, "now we belong to nobody but each other. My wife." Those two words echoed in her head. "Now, though, you've been through too much, emotionally. You're still shaking." He sat her down on his bed. "Rest here a moment, I'll run us a hot bath. You're safe now, Sigyn."

Loki walked off into his bathroom and she heard running water. Sigyn kicked off her shoes. The realization hit her that she truly was safe from Theoric, followed by the fact that she was going to be with Loki tonight. She had been preparing herself for pain; now she just had love. She gathered her dress in her hands and stood up, padding barefoot out onto his balcony. She stood staring out at the view and didn't hear Loki come up behind her.

"Are you alright?" She nodded silently. "Come inside, the bath will help you relax." He took her hand and led her back inside. He turned and kissed her, soft and slow, before she turned around and pulled her hair over one shoulder.

"Can you untie my dress?" His breathing changed as he started loosening the back of her gown; she noticed his hands had begun to shake. Once it was loose enough, she pushed her clothing down at her feet, and she was left nude with her back to him.

She felt his eyes on her as she crossed the room to the bathroom. When she was in the doorway, she turned back to him. "Are you going to join me, husband?"

He blinked and nodded.

She turned back to the bathroom; it was dimly lit with two candles and the sunlight coming in through the doorway. She climbed into the still, hot water; he had been right, it was definitely soothing.

She looked up at him as he stood in the doorway; he had removed his shirt and boots. Now it was her turn to be left speechless. He was truly a god, in every sense of the word. Her breathing got heavier as her mind started to race.

He finished undressing, and when she saw him fully naked her eyes went wide. When she looked up at his face, he had the biggest smile at her reaction. She blushed as he climbed into the bath with her. Once he sat down, she laid back against his chest and rested her head on his left shoulder. They laid together for a few minutes, still and silent.

"Do you feel any better?"

"A bit, but it's still sinking in. I expected to be lost and broken right now."

"I promised you that I'd make it alright. I wasn't about to let him hurt you like that."

"Loki..." she hesitated, "what did you do to Theoric? Is he alive?"


	7. Chapter 7: Impersonating Evil

**A/N: This chapter ****really**** gets into the M rating. I kept it as clean as possible, but it's definitely an adult story.**

Impersonating Evil

Loki stood on his balcony at sunrise Thursday morning. After his altercation with Theoric the night before, he hadn't slept; he spent the night trying to find a way to stop him. He looked towards Iwaldi's house, intent on seeing Sigyn despite both their fathers' wishes. He had to tell her what he'd heard Theoric say. He couldn't let her go in blind, there had to be some way to stop it, to keep her safe.

He stood there still as a statue watching her house, waiting for her to leave so he could get to her. Two hours went by before her sisters started leaving the house, one by one, until only Sigyn, Iwaldi, and one of her sisters remained. Finally, another hour later, the door opened and Sigyn came into view, arm in arm with her sister.

Loki straightened up, more alert now that he saw her. He watched her walk towards the market with her sister and was about to leave to find her, but Sigyn kept looking back over her shoulder. They went around the block from her house, then she and her sister doubled back, heading towards the forest.

"_She's going to the meadow,_" he thought to himself. "_Run. Go, she might not have much time. RUN!_"

He burst out of his room, running down the hall and almost slamming into Thor and Fandral on their way to the banquet hall.

"Where is the fire, Brother?" Thor laughed.

Loki ignored him and ran full speed through the streets. He didn't care who saw him anymore. He _had_ to get to Sigyn.

Fifteen minutes later, Loki arrived, out of breath and distressed. "I saw you...head into...the woods...from my balcony," he huffed, "you can't...marry Theoric...Sigyn, he's...going to...rape you."

Sigyn jumped up from the ground and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Lofn was with her, and she stood to her feet, a stunned look on her face.

"There's nothing either of you can do now," Lofn said. "Father has forbidden Sigyn from seeing you, so he'll just see it as a lie to postpone the wedding. And I take it you've had equally bad luck in the matter."

"I overheard Theoric last night, bragging about it to his whores. My father wouldn't hear it. He said I didn't have enough proof. Even with eyewitnesses, not enough proof," Loki sighed.

"Just be there tomorrow," Sigyn spoke up, "just be at the wedding. If I see you, it'll help me be strong. I'll just think of you when he..." she trailed off.

"_No, damn it. I can't let her go through with this. I __**have to **__fix this._"

"I would **never** hurt you like that!" he replied angrily, not mad at her, but at his lack of options. "I'll be there, I promise you."

"Sigyn, we can't stay much longer," Lofn said, "we've already lied to Father."

Loki leaned down and kissed Sigyn as Lofn pulled her away to leave. "Whether you can see me or not, I swear I'll be right by your side."

And with that, the sisters left the meadow, leaving Loki behind. He stood there in shock until she was long gone, then covered himself and made his way back towards his chambers. He changed his mind just outside his door and went to the Library instead; there was nothing in the books that he kept in his room, he had to find something older.

He spent the next four hours flipping through page after page, book after book, until he found the two spells he needed. He spent an hour perfecting the first one, then went off to try the second one on some of the guards. He had to have everything perfect before he went to deal with Theoric.

At sunset, he left the castle again, sneaking into Theoric's house unnoticed. He sat down on a chair in the corner and waited; the more time that passed, the angrier Loki became. He kept picturing Theoric hurting Sigyn, and his blood was boiling in his veins.

Hours later, Theoric drunkenly stumbled into his house. Loki was upon him as soon as he locked his door. Theoric's coordination and reaction time were diminished by his inebriated state, and Loki landed blow after blow, until Theoric was a bleeding mess on the floor. Loki stood over Theoric, as he peered up at him from the floor.

"You dared to threaten her safety, her **innocence**, right to my FACE?!" Loki yelled.

"She's not your problem," Theoric choked out through the blood in his mouth. "You're only making it worse for her. I'm going to break her." He laughed, "She belongs to me, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Ah," Loki shook his finger at Theoric, "you see, that's where you're wrong." He knelt down next to Theoric, a purple glow coming from his hand as he pressed it against Theoric's forehead. "You're going to sleep right through the wedding. As ill as it makes me to subject myself to impersonating you, I'm out of options. I love her, and the mere thought of you violating any part of her existence makes me want to tear your limbs from your body. If you come near her again, I _will_ make good on that threat. Now, sleep."

And with that, Theoric's head fell to the floor with a loud thump. Loki rolled his body underneath the bed and went through the house, making sure that all of the curtains were drawn shut on the windows. When he knew that nobody could see in, he sat at the table and rested his head on his hands. He thought of her as he drifted off to sleep.

Loki awoke to banging at the door. He jumped up and went to Theoric's bureau, finding his formal uniform and looking it over, memorizing it. He stood in front of the mirror and watched as his appearance changed to look like Theoric.

"Just a moment," he said in Theoric's voice, and smirked at himself.

"_You've done it,_" he thought to himself, "_now just keep the illusion up and go save her._"

He checked on the real Theoric before opening the door and leaving for the castle. He was under the bed, snoring in a puddle of his own drool. Loki smirked at the sight.

He walked outside, locking the door from the inside before pulling it shut. The streets were full of people making their way up to the castle for the wedding.

Loki caught sight of Iwaldi and Freya ahead of him, arm in arm. Their daughters were walking just behind them; Sigyn had her head down. It made him so angry that her family wouldn't budge to ensure her safety and wellbeing; it would be over soon enough, though, and then she'd never have to see them again.

He watched them quickly hide her away in the dressing room and leave her alone. He ducked behind a column near the door to hide and sent a projection of himself into the room to check on her. She was edging slowly towards the balcony.

"I know what you're thinking," Loki called out to her, "and if you jump, I'm jumping after you."

She spun around to look at him. "Are you really here?"

"No, it's a projection. I'm not far though. I can't stay long, your family will be in here any moment. Just remember what I told you, just because you don't see me, it doesn't mean I'm not here." And with that he pulled the projection back. He made his way up to the altar. The fact that he was tricking all of Asgard for her made him nervous; one slip up could ruin everything.

He took his place at the altar. His mother was looking around with an upset look on her face, probably looking for him. Sigyn's sisters began walking down the aisle. He hated that he couldn't let her in on the fact that it was him standing here, not Theoric.

He watched the door to the dressing room as her sisters exited, until he saw her. She looked like she was about to make a run for it. He projected enough energy back to her to talk to her one more time. She just needed to stay, everything would work out if she just stayed. "Breathe. I'm here, love. I promise you it _will_ be alright. Just breathe."

He saw her head whip around behind her, then she looked forward again and he could tell that she was crying again. Her father met her at the door and they started making their way up to the altar. When she was almost up to him, he saw that she was panicking, looking at his family, trying to find him.

Loki stepped down and Iwaldi passed her hand to him, then went to take a seat. She looked up at him, and he grinned back at her, leading her back up to Odin. He hated that she saw Theoric and not him.

"_It's almost done,_" he thought.

Odin began reading their vows, looking at Loki. "Repeat after me. I vow to be faithful to my bride, to keep watch over her, and to honor this marriage, and this marriage alone, until the end of time itself."

Sigyn scanned the rows of people in attendance.

"_She's still trying to find me. I hope she doesn't think that I abandoned her._"

"Sigyn," Odin's voice boomed, "repeat after me. I vow to be faithful to my groom, to keep watch over him, and to honor this marriage, and this marriage alone, until the end of time itself." She did as she was told. Odin turned back to Loki. "I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride."

He leaned in to kiss her; she closed her eyes tight. "_I did it. Enough of this lie, now._" His lips touched hers. A glow washed over him and Sigyn as he changed back to looking like himself. People around them started yelling.

"What have you done, boy?!" Odin shouted. She opened her eyes. "Loki! I warned you against meddling with this wedding. Do you not dare heed the orders of your father, of your **king**?! Foolish child." Odin turned to face Sigyn. "Sigyn, I apologize, my dear. This marriage will be annulled immediately."

Loki opened his mouth to argue, but Odin shouted at him. "Do not try my patience right now! I will deal with you after I fix the problems you have created."

"No, Allfather," Sigyn spoke up, "I accept this marriage. I do not wish for it to be annulled." Loki smiled at her.

Odin seemed to be deep in thought before he spoke again. "Then, for your commitment to these unforeseen circumstances, I hereby deem you the Goddess of Fidelity and Bonds."

Before anyone else could object, Loki grabbed Sigyn's hand and they both vanished from the throne room, reappearing within his chambers.

"Is this real, or have I just fainted at the altar?" She was still a shaking nervous wreck.

"I told you that I would keep you safe," he wrapped his arms around her, "now we belong to nobody but each other. My wife." Those two words echoed in her head. "Now, though, you've been through too much, emotionally. You're still shaking." He sat her down on his bed. "Rest here a moment, I'll run us a hot bath. You're safe now, Sigyn."

Loki walked off into his bathroom and lit two candles as he filled the bathtub. After he turned the water off, he went back out to Sigyn. She stood on his balcony staring out at the view and didn't hear Loki come up behind her.

"Are you alright?" She nodded silently. "Come inside, the bath will help you relax." He took her hand and led her back inside. Loki turned and kissed her, soft and slow, before she turned away from him and pulled her hair over one shoulder.

"Can you untie my dress?" Chills shot down his spine as he loosened the ribbons that crisscrossed down her back. His hands were shaking and it was hard for him to breathe. Once it was loose enough, she pushed her clothing down at her feet, and she was left nude with her back to him.

He took in every inch of her body, every curve. She was perfect. He followed her with his eyes as she crossed the room to the bathroom. She turned back to him in the doorway and smiled. "Are you going to join me, husband?"

He blinked and nodded. "_I'd be stupid not to._"

He heard her getting into the water, and that jarred him back to reality. He pulled off his shirt and kicked his boots off as he crossed the room. Her breathing became heavier as she looked up at him standing in the doorway.

He finished undressing and watched her reaction; when she saw him fully naked her eyes went wide. He couldn't keep the grin off of his face when she looked up at him. She blushed as he climbed into the bath with her. Once he sat down, she laid back against his chest and rested her head against his left shoulder. They laid together for a few minutes, still and silent.

"Do you feel any better?"

"A bit, but it's still sinking in. I expected to be lost and broken right now."

"I promised you that I'd fix it. I wasn't about to let him hurt you like that."

"Loki," she hesitated, "what did you do to Theoric? Is he alive?"

"I wanted to kill him. But he's only sleeping. He'll wake up later tonight. If he wasn't on my father's guard, I probably would have beat him to death." He kissed her shoulder. "Let's not worry about him anymore. It's just us tonight, and I'll keep our doors locked for as long as you want."

She turned around to face him. The closeness and intimacy of the situation made it impossible for him not to be turned on by her. She looked down at his body when she realized it, and her eyes were wide when she looked back up at him. He laughed at her reaction; her innocence was adorable.

Before he realized what was happening, she reached under the water and touched him. He gripped the sides of the tub and his head fell back as he closed his eyes. She kept one hand on him as she started kissing his neck. He couldn't believe that she had made the first move; it felt like electricity all throughout his body.

"S-Sigyn," he choked out. He was gripping the sides of the bathtub so hard that his knuckles were white. Her free hand found its way into his hair as she moved up and kissed his lips; he struggled to regain his composure as her taste and smell overloaded his senses. He couldn't even form a single thought. He moaned into her mouth as his legs went rigid and he climaxed.

As soon as she let go of him and moved away from him in the water, he relaxed and rubbed his face with his hands. His mouth was dry and everything felt numb. He brought his knees up above the water.

"I can't believe you just did that," he finally managed. "That was...there are no words. I can't even think straight."

"Loki," she whispered, "I want you so badly. Can we go to bed?" His head was spinning. Nobody had ever had this effect on him. He _needed_ her.

With all the effort he had put into stopping Theoric from marrying her, he never even really thought about the fact that he'd have her alone after the wedding. Now, though, she was right in front of him, nude in his bathtub and begging him to take her innocence.

"Loki? Are you alright?" She moved back over to him and touched his chest. He jolted at her touch and sat up, looking in her startled eyes. She was breathing so heavy; drops of water were beading up and rolling down her body as she knelt in front of him.

He couldn't stand it anymore; he stood up and lifted Sigyn up into his arms and carried her out to his bed. She stretched out on her back and he froze again. The look in her eyes when she looked at him was driving him mad; nobody ever looked at him like that before, like he was the only thing that mattered. His hands were shaking again.

Sigyn sat up and reached out and grabbed his hands. "I'm nervous, too, Loki. But I trust you. Don't hold back."

He shook his head. "I don't deserve you."

She pulled him down onto the bed on top of her. "Whether you do or not, I'm your wife now." Her hands went up into his hair again, and she wrapped her legs around him. "Claim me, Loki."

He hesitated. "If it hurts, promise you'll tell me." She nodded. He adjusted his weight on top of her and thrust into her, then stopped to let her get used to the feeling. She cried out as he broke through her virginity and her eyes teared; he kissed her cheeks over and over. "I'm sorry, love. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, Loki," she finally exhaled. "Keep going." He followed her lead, changing the pace whenever she told him to. He couldn't take his eyes off of her face. Her sighs quickly turned to whimpers. When he realized she was close, he reached one arm underneath her and gently lifted her back off of the bed; he had been on the edge for minutes but he held back so that they finished together. Sigyn started rolling her hips back against him to meet each thrust. She dragged her fingernails across his back as her moans got louder until they both collapsed, exhausted and sweating.

"I love you, Sigyn. So much more than you'll ever know." They didn't move, just laid there in each other's arms, catching their breath until they both fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8: Wedding Night

Wedding Night

"I can't believe you just did that," he finally managed. "That was...there are no words. I can't even think straight."

"Loki," she whispered, "I want you so badly. Can we go to bed?" She needed release; she felt as though she'd burst if he didn't touch her.

He seemed to be lost in thought, or still in shock from what she'd just done.

"Loki? Are you alright?" She moved back over to him and touched his chest. He jolted at her touch and sat up, looking into her startled eyes. She was breathing so heavy; drops of water were beading up and rolling down her body as she knelt in front of him.

She was about to ask him again when he stood up and lifted Sigyn up into his arms and carried her out to his bed. She stretched out on her back and he froze again. She looked up at him, admiring how breathtaking he was. He didn't have to do anything, she loved him irrevocably. She was waiting for him to lay down with her when she noticed his hands were shaking again.

Sigyn sat up and reached out and grabbed his hands. "I'm nervous, too, Loki. But I trust you. Don't hold back."

He shook his head. "I don't deserve you."

She pulled him down onto the bed on top of her. "Whether you do or not, I'm your wife now." Her hands went up into his hair again, and she wrapped her legs around him. "Claim me, Loki."

He hesitated. "If it hurts, promise me you'll tell me." She nodded. He adjusted his weight on top of her and thrust into her, then stopped to let her get used to the feeling. She cried out as he broke through her virginity and her eyes teared; he kissed her cheeks over and over. "I'm sorry, love. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, Loki," she finally exhaled. "Keep going." He let her tell him what she needed; his eyes were fixed on her, as though she might disappear if he blinked. Her sighs quickly turned to whimpers. When she was close to peaking, he instinctively reached one arm underneath her back and gently lifted her off of the bed. She started rolling her hips back against him to meet each thrust and dragged her fingernails across his back as her moans got louder until they both collapse, exhausted and sweating.

"I love you Sigyn. So much more than you'll ever know." They didn't move, just laid there in each other's arms catching their breath until they both fell asleep.

She awoke an hour later to a knock at his door. Loki had rolled off of her, and was still asleep on his back next to her. She stood and covered him with a blanket before going to the bathroom for a towel to answer the door.

Frigga was standing in the hall. Sigyn's face turned bright red in embarrassment at the Queen seeing her without clothes on. As if reading her mind, Frigga said, "I know you didn't have time to prepare for coming to live in the castle, so I took it upon myself to send for your clothes." She gently pushed the door open and entered with two of her handmaidens who were carrying Sigyn's dresses on hangers. They hung her clothes in Loki's closet, then exited the room, leaving Sigyn alone with the Queen.

Frigga glanced at Loki, passed out on the bed, and she covered her mouth as she chuckled to herself. Sigyn was so embarrassed, but Frigga gently touched her arm. "When they sleep peacefully afterwards, that means that you did everything right. Don't feel embarrassed, dear. Yes, he's my son, but he's also a grown man now. I know that the circumstances surrounding your marriage might have been out of the ordinary, but he did what he needed to do for you, out of love. The two of you are all that matter to each other right now; everyone else will come around in their own time. Now," she continued, "I would like for the two of you to join the family for dinner, since there was no wedding reception. That is, if you can tear yourselves away from each other long enough to get through a meal." She smiled at Sigyn, glancing back at her sleeping son one more time before leaving.

Sigyn draped the towel over the doorknob; she felt there was no need for it when they were alone. She decided to familiarize herself with his chambers while he slept. His bedroom was a huge, open space with high ceilings; it looked bigger than her father's entire house. The bed was in the far left, close to a large window with heavy curtains drawn to block out the light. The door to the bathroom was just before the bed, on the left wall. The balcony was in the far right corner of the room; there were two steps down to the balcony doors. The bed was positioned so that Loki could see out through the balcony doors when he woke each morning. On the right wall there were two doors; the first was a huge walk-in closet, where the Queen's handmaidens had just hung up her clothes. She went to the second door and looked back at Loki, still sleeping, before curiously turning the doorknob.

There was another room, almost as big as the main room. A two-story library lined the walls, with a heavy wooden desk in the center of the room. She made her way to the desk and found a stack of books on magic.

"_He's been in here all week, pouring over these dusty old books instead of sleeping. For me,_" she thought to herself. She sat down at the desk and found a pen and paper, writing something for him to find later. When she finished writing, she neatly folded it and placed it on top of the stack of books. She cupped her hands together and materialized a wildflower in her hands, just as he had done for her days before, and placed it on top of the letter.

She walked back out, quietly pulling the library door closed, and made her way over to the bed. Loki was still in a deep sleep as she pulled back the blanket and curled up next to him. He started to wake at her touch, and smiled as he opened his eyes.

"You're beautiful." He brushed her hair back from her cheek and began kissing her. She pulled away and sat up in the bed.

"Your mother had my clothes brought up from my father's house while you were asleep. She wants us to both attend dinner."

"She came in here while I was naked?!"

Sigyn laughed at him. "No! I covered you with the blanket." She leaned down and kissed him again, swinging her leg over him so she was straddling his lap.

"More?" he asked, smirking as he ran his hands over her thighs.

She nodded. "I'm not planning on us getting much sleep tonight."

Thirty minutes later, they both laid on their backs on the bed. Loki turned his head to look at her; she could barely keep her eyes open.

"I'm going to go show my face at dinner," he whispered, "but I'll leave a projection of myself here so you can tell me if you need anything. You stay here and rest, I'll bring back a plate."

"Mm hmm," she mumbled, closing her eyes as he got dressed. He pulled the blanket up over her and kissed her forehead before making a copy of himself laying next to her in bed, and leaving for the banquet hall.

Sigyn awoke fifteen minutes later to footsteps slowly crossing the darkened bedroom. She didn't know how long she'd been sleeping and assumed that it was Loki trying not to wake her. She opened her eyes as the footsteps stopped next to the bed, just in time to see Theoric plunge his sword into the projection of Loki, causing it to flicker and disappear. She screamed and tried to run but her legs got tangled in the blanket and she fell to the floor.

Theoric grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her up off of the floor. He looked down at her naked body, then flung her across the floor towards the bathroom. "Cover yourself up, whore. Let's wait for your lover to return. You were promised to **me**, and I'm not leaving here without blood on my hands."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm sorry for this chapter. But it's how I'm connecting her through to Avengers. Grab some tissues now, things are about to take a dark turn for awhile. From here on out there will only be Loki POV chapters on this story as I work through the Thor timeline. I'm already starting on the next story for post-Thor to Avengers. Still brainstorming where I'll go with it in Thor TDW. Thanks for all the comments, faves and follows! I love the feedback! **

Blood and Frost, and the Soul Lost in Between

"I'm going to go show my face at dinner," Loki whispered, "but I'll leave a projection of myself here so you can tell me if you need anything. You stay here and rest, I'll bring back a plate."

"Mm hmm," Sigyn mumbled, closing her eyes as he got dressed. He pulled the blanket up over her and kissed her forehead before projecting a copy of himself laying next to her in bed, and leaving for the banquet hall.

The usual faces were there: his parents, Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three. Loki walked up to Thor as he was piling food onto his plate.

"I didn't expect to see you tonight, Brother!" Thor bellowed. "I've not seen you with quite such a smile on your face since we were children! And where is your bride, my new sister?" Thor looked around.

"Indisposed at the moment," he said, exchanging glances with Thor. They both laughed together.

"I think that means you've tired her out," Fandral added, jokingly elbowing Loki.

"I'll not speak ill of my bride, Fandral," Loki replied, "what happens behind my closed doors is nobody's business except mine and Sigyn's."

"And the gossip of whomever might hear down the hall," Fandral laughed as Loki's cheeks turned red.

"Yes, Fandral," Thor added, "we've all heard Loki's successes this afternoon."

"Stop," Loki said, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Brother! Not everyone has such a grand reaction from their women."

"Woman, Thor. Not women. I don't intend to make a mockery of my marriage by falling into bed with whores. I've no intention of ever even looking in the direction of another, ever again."

Thor put an arm over Loki's shoulder. "Relax, Brother, we merely jest. There is no ill will meant here, you're among friends."

Frigga walked over to her sons as Loki grabbed an empty plate. "Won't Sigyn be joining us this evening?"

"Not tonight, Mother," he replied, "She felt a bit tired from all the commotion of the day. She was already a bit shaken before the wedding even began. I left a projection of myself in case she..." A confused look came across his face and he froze. "Something's wrong." Then a bloodcurdling scream rang through the halls of the castle. "No. I left her alone." The plate that Loki had been holding shattered on the floor as he ran from the banquet hall, leaving everyone speechless.

He ran as fast as his legs would carry him back to his chambers; his feet slid out from under him as he reached the door, frantically grasping for the doorknob. He threw the door open to find Theoric standing behind Sigyn with his sword to her throat, and he stopped in his tracks, raising his hands defensively.

"About time you joined the party," Theoric snapped at him with an icy glare. "It's a shame that not everyone here is leaving alive."

Loki was analyzing the situation before he did anything; if Theoric's reflexes with his sword were faster than Loki's magic, she might get hurt as he tried to save her. Her eyes were wide with fear, and there was a bruise forming on her left cheek. He knew then that the day would end with Theoric's death, but at what cost?

"Loki, he's lost his mind! He's not thinking cl..." she managed before Theoric yanked her hair back.

"Not another word or I'll slice your pretty little neck open."

"Just look at me, love," Loki called out to her. "It's going to be alright."

"See, now," Theoric said, "there's the prince we all know and love. The liar." And with that he pulled his arm back and drove his sword through Sigyn's chest.

"**NO!**" Loki shouted. He could still fix it if he got her to the healing room fast enough.

Theoric laughed, his sword still stuck through her chest. "You're thinking about the healing room, aren't you?" Loki looked at him, starting to panic. Theoric twisted the sword inside her chest, making her injuries much worse, then pulled his sword out and let her slump to the floor.

"**NO NO NO NO!**" Loki dropped to his knees and frantically crawled to where she lay. There was so much blood. Theoric ran while he had the chance, while Loki wasn't paying attention, and fled the castle.

Loki pulled Sigyn up into his arms, trying to stop the bleeding. Just then, Thor came running into the room. "Mother sent me to make sure you were... What happened?!" Loki stood, holding Sigyn, and pushed her into Thor's arms.

"Get Mother, and take Sigyn to the Healing Room. Keep her alive! I'll be back as soon as I deal with Theoric," he said, leaning down and kissing Sigyn's forehead. "I can't give him the chance to slip out of Asgard, not after this atrocity." Thor looked down at Sigyn's tiny, unconscious figure in his arms, and took off running for the banquet hall.

Loki ran in the opposite direction, the way Theoric had fled. He wasn't far behind him, and tracked him through the streets. He found Theoric inside his house, frantically rummaging through his dresser drawers, looking for something. Loki tackled him and teleported them both to a different part of Asgard, where one of his secret passages off of Asgard was located. He dragged Theoric through the portal to Jotunheim.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Thor burst into the banquet hall yelling for help with Sigyn lying bloody in his arms. Sif rushed to help, and Frigga ordered them to the Healing Room.

"Hopefully we aren't too late," she said. "Where is Loki?"

"He went after Theoric alone. He said to keep Sigyn alive until he came back."

"After we get her to the Healing Room, I want you to hurry to Heimdall and locate them both. Hopefully we can find Theoric before Loki does something irrational."

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Loki dragged Theoric across the icy wastelands of Jotunheim. "_You might never see her alive again._" The thought was like knives in his heart.

"Heimdall! Help me!" Theoric screamed at the sky.

"Don't bother," Loki said, "he can't find us here. You are **never** going to see Asgard again." He pushed Theoric along forcefully as he started to beg for his life. "**SHUT UP!**" Loki screamed as he punched Theoric in the face until he fell unconscious.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Frigga ran around the Healing Room as she and the Healers tried to save Sigyn. Her wounds were extensive and her fate was looking grim.

Thor ran into the room, out of breath. "Loki has hidden himself from Heimdall. He can't locate either of them."

"He needs to be here with his wife," Frigga shook her head, looking down at her blood-soaked hands. She knew there was only one option left, but it meant that Loki wouldn't get to say goodbye. If she didn't make the decision now, it might soon be too late.

"Everybody out!" Frigga ordered, closing the doors when only she and Sigyn remained in the room.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Loki dragged an unconscious Theoric by his hair and threw him down at Laufey's feet. Laufey eyed the both of them and chuckled.

"Might I inquire as to the nature of this surprise visit, Prince of Asgard?"

Loki took a deep breath as Theoric woke up. "I want his arms and legs torn from his body, and I want the rest of him fed to a Jotun beast. While he's still alive." Theoric tried pleading with him again, to no avail.

"And what might I get in return if I agree to it?" Laufey negotiated.

Loki thought for a moment. "I'll allow you passage into Asgard, for an opportunity to steal back the Casket of Ancient Winters that my father took from you."

"Then we have a deal," Laufey grinned, reaching down and grabbing Theoric. He turned to Loki, expecting him to leave.

"I want to watch him die," Loki replied.

"Fair enough." Laufey started ripping at Theoric's left arm as he began screaming.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

When it was done, Loki ran back to the portal. Now his only concern was getting back to Sigyn while she was still alive.

Once he got back into Asgard, he teleported himself to the hall just outside of the Healing Room. Thor and Sif were both standing by the door.

"What's happened? Where is Sigyn?"

Thor looked sadly at his brother. "Mother did everything she could. I'm sorry, Loki."

"No," Loki replied, tears pooling in his eyes, "you're lying."

He pushed the doors open, and Frigga stood next to Sigyn's lifeless body with tears rolling down her cheeks. Her hands were clasped in front of her. "I must go inform Iwaldi and Freya," she said.

Loki walked to where her body laid and picked her up in his arms. He staggered to the corner of the room and collapsed, burying his face in her bloody hair.

"I was supposed to keep you safe. I couldn't even do that for a day." Tears started falling down his cheeks. The best thing that he'd ever found in all of Asgard, and she was ripped away from him in under a week. "Don't leave me."

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Thor stopped Frigga on her way out. "What should we do for him, Mother?"

"There is nothing we _can_ do. He just needs time to grieve." She frowned. "Be there for him if he reaches out to you for support. But knowing Loki, this will only make him withdraw from us. He was lonely before he met her; now he's alone." She looked down at her hands, still clasped in front of her protectively. "I must go now, I have to see Heimdall quickly before I take the news to Sigyn's family."

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Heimdall was expecting Frigga as she hurriedly met him at the Bifrost. "My Queen. What are the odds that this will work?"

"I don't know, Heimdall. But I have to try, in the hopes that he can find her again someday. Nobody other than you and I can know, though, in case this doesn't work. I can't have my son recklessly scouring the Nine Realms for something he may very well never find." She opened her hands as Heimdall opened the Bridge to the Nine Realms. She looked at the small glowing orb in her hands, whispering to it, "Remember your name, Sigyn, and find your way back to Loki." With that, she gently pushed the Soul out among the stars.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Two hours later, Frigga returned to the healing room to find Loki still in the corner holding Sigyn's body; Thor and Sif had long since left. She quietly knelt down next to her son.

"Loki. She can't stay here. We have to make arrangements for her funeral."

"I'll never see her again." He reached out his blood-stained hands to his mother and she wrapped her arms protectively around her son as he began crying again.

"I'm so sorry, Loki. It'll get easier with time." She gently helped him to his feet and guided him over to the table to lay Sigyn's body down. He hesitated, then slowly let go of her. "Go back to your chambers and get cleaned up; I'll take care of things here."

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Loki hesitated before opening the door to his chambers. The room was dark. He didn't want to deal with any of it, he wished he could just go back a few hours and stay with her a little bit longer. He looked down at his bloody hands in the light from the hall, then went into the bathroom to wash it off. He glanced at the bathtub as he ran his hands under the water in the sink. The tub was still full from their bath earlier. The spaces he had planned to share with her for the rest of his life had swiftly turned into painful reminders that she was now lost forever.

He couldn't even look in the direction of his bed as he left the bathroom. He hurriedly went into his closet to get an extra pillow and blanket so that he could go sleep in his library; the first thing he saw was her dresses hanging next to his clothes. The pain in his chest was crippling. She was everywhere and nowhere now. The only safe place he had left was his library.

He grabbed what he came for and quickly left the closet, trying to avert his gaze from the pool of blood at the foot of his bed. He should've insisted she came to dinner, or just not gone; then she'd still be here. He had to get away from there.

He went into his library, the room that he had been so anxious to show her after dinner, to continue teaching her magic. Now there was nothing to look forward to except her funeral and an unending loneliness.

He tossed the pillow and blanket on a couch in the corner of the room and laid down to attempt to sleep. Before he turned off the lamp, he saw it. On his desk was a wildflower, like the ones in their meadow, placed on top of a folded sheet of paper. "_How?... She must have come in here while I was asleep._" He was half afraid to read it, but forced himself to see what it was.

**_Loki, my husband,_**

**_You're still sleeping so I decided to have a look around. I love that you have your own personal library. You're full of surprises! It's been such a whirlwind day. There's something that I haven't told you, it's easier to just write it because it's a bit embarrassing since you've only had feelings for me quite recently. I've admired you from afar for years, always hoping that you would notice me at one of the many banquets at the castle, but you never stayed long enough for me to get your attention. The best thing, though, is now I belong to you. Now I can have a hundred dances with you. I can't wait to make up for lost time._**

**_I love you, Loki._**

**_~Sigyn~_**

Loki stood there clutching the paper, just staring blankly at it. "_I could've had so much more time with her if I had just paid attention._" He let the paper fall to the desk as he bit back tears.

He backed away from the desk slowly, until his legs bumped into the couch where he had thrown the pillow and blanket. He slowly sank down to the floor and wrapped the blanket over his shoulders, clutching the pillow to his chest.

Sleep came swiftly, but it was far from peaceful. His dreams were flooded with his memories of Sigyn. The meadow of wildflowers; saying their vows; bringing her back to his chambers; their first kiss on the beach. Everything was jumbled and fast and out of sequence. He awoke screaming her name, hoping that it had all just been a nightmare.

When reality set in, the guilt was unbearable. He should've anticipated retaliation from Theoric. He couldn't stay in his chambers any longer; he made his way back to the Healing Room. He needed to see her face again; he knew that the opportunity wouldn't last much longer before that, too, was gone forever.

Frigga was still there as Loki entered, wringing out a bloody washcloth into a small tub of water next to Sigyn's body. She had just finished washing the blood clean from Sigyn, and she looked exhausted. They exchanged glances as he approached; Sigyn merely appeared as though she was sleeping now. He stared down at her with wide eyes, waiting for her to move, to breathe, to come back to him and undo this unshakable pain in his chest. She remained still and silent, an empty shell of the woman he loved mere hours before.

"The funeral ceremony will be tomorrow at sunset," Frigga finally spoke, breaking his concentration. Loki nodded.

"Maybe she would have been better off if I'd let her marry Theoric. At least she would still be alive."

"You can't blame yourself, Loki. The two of you were blissfully perfect for each other, but Theoric's jealousy was far too strong. What became of Theoric, if I might ask?"

"He's dead."

"At your hand?"

"Indirectly. I took him to others that did the dirty work for me."

"At what cost?"

"I owe a favor," he simply replied, dodging the question.

Frigga sighed, looking at her son. She wished she could tell him that Sigyn might still be alive, but the thought of giving him false hope for an unsure possibility just made her heart break for him that much more. If he had a glimmer of hope right now, she knew he would run himself into the ground to get Sigyn back.

"I'm going to retreat to bed," she finally said, "will you be alright? I don't want you to spend the night in here. You need to rest; grief can take a great toll on you."

"I'll stay with her a little while longer," he said as his mother left the room.

Once he was alone, he squatted down next to the table that held Sigyn's body, so that he was eye level with her. She was gone but it wouldn't sink in; he felt like there was something he had overlooked, but he couldn't place it. He stayed there for awhile, just taking in her face, memorizing everything about her; he didn't want to forget anything. Once morning came, he was sure her sisters, and perhaps even her mother, would be flitting all over this room, preparing her body. This was the last calm moment he'd ever have with her. Every time he paused to think about the long term aspect of it, his eyes welled up with tears and the memories came through, strong as hallucinations. It felt like a crippling pain in his heart, his mind was torturing him to relive what he had lost. He blamed it on the guilt of not being able to save her, and tried to calm himself and make it stop. "_Breathe, Loki. Bury the pain. You need to learn to control it now, just like everything else. The only person you can trust is yourself. Bury it deep._"

He rose to his feet, running one hand through her hair, twisting it gently between his fingers before letting it fall around her face. "Goodbye, love," he said as the tears rolled down his cheeks. He kissed her forehead one last time before slowly walking out of the healing room, closing the door quietly behind him.


	10. Chapter 10: Alone

Alone

Loki paused as he closed the door to the healing room; there was no going back once he left her in there, alone. "_She's off to Folkvangr, where her mother can watch over her. The only one alone is you,_" he thought to himself. He stood there with his hands on the doorknobs, breathing heavily as he tried to stop the tears. He blinked a few times then wiped his eyes with his hands.

"_How did we end up here, Sigyn? I thought forever would be longer,_" he thought as another memory pushed its way up to the surface. He didn't understand why these memories of her were coming through so strong, so vivid. He felt the urge to go back in and hold her again, but he knew it wouldn't make things any easier.

He stood a moment longer, closing his eyes as he slowly exhaled, pushing the memories out of his mind. "_There's something...off about these memories. They feel stronger than just thoughts._" He opened his eyes and turned, walking away slowly. He needed to try to sleep again before he had to face her family.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Loki curled up on the couch in his library, facing the wall with the blanket pulled up over his head. "_I just need dark, and quiet. I need __**nothing**__ for awhile._" He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately, exhausted from the grief.

The next thing he knew, he was running through the woods. "_The first day, the meadow,_" he realized, just as he ran into the clearing. "_She's just as beautiful as I remember. How long will these dreams torture me?_" His skill at magic and concentration made it easy for him to control his consciousness while he dreamt; he couldn't change his movements, but he could change what he said. But with Sigyn being nothing more than a ghost in his subconscious, there was no point in trying to talk to her; she would only ever say what she had originally said in those moments.

"_**Pardon my intrusion, my prince.**_"

He just wanted to hold her, not to relive these nervous first moments. She scrambled to her feet, trying to hide the book of magic she had been reading. This was both frustrating and strangely calming at the same time. As much as he wanted, **needed**, to touch her again, it helped to know that her face wasn't gone forever. As much as the dreams tortured him, they still kept her near.

The original conversation carried on as he became lost in thought. As he moved his palms up to show her the fire spell, she came closer; then, without warning, the dream shifted and her eyes went wide with fear as her bloody body fell into his arms on the floor of his bedchambers. He panicked and screamed himself awake on the floor of his library covered in a cold sweat and tangled in his blanket.

"_I can't... No. I __**have to **__get through this... It will get easier after the funeral,_" he thought, trying to calm himself down from the nightmarish way the dream had ended. "_It's just guilt at not being able to save her._"

Loki stood, pulling on his boots and quietly leaving his chambers. He solemnly walked the halls until he reached the banquet hall. He just needed a drink to take the edge off; Thor was in the hall entertaining a group of his friends. Loki was about to turn and leave instead of dealing with the happy crowd, but Volstagg pointed him out to Thor before he could get away. Thor turned around in his seat, his smile quickly changing to a look of concern for his younger brother.

"Loki, come join us!" he yelled as he pouted a drink for his brother. "How are you feeling? You look unwell."

"As well as can be expected," he hesitated before chugging the entire cup of alcohol. "More. Please, Brother."

They exchanged glances before Thor refilled Loki's cup. He wrapped an arm around Loki's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Brother. I know not what to say to ease your pain." The room fell silent as everyone turned their attention to the two princes.

Loki immediately noticed that all eyes in the room were on him. Without another word, he finished his cup, poured himself a third helping, and downed that as well. His head was spinning as he slammed the cup down and silently staggered out of the banquet hall alone.

He wandered out of the castle and paced the streets until he realized he was standing in front of Iwaldi's house. It was late and the house was dark. He made his way around to the side, to the window that used to belong to Sigyn. He made a wildflower in his hands and stuck it in the frame of the closed window. He hesitated a moment before walking back out to the road and moving on. He was only a few steps off of the sidewalk when he heard Sigyn's voice in his head again.

"_**I don't want to lose you. Loki, I can't... I love you, Loki. Only you.**_"

"_Not here, please not here. Not this close to her family's house._"

He took a deep breath and focused, pushing it out of his mind, then hurried through the streets and into the woods. When he reached the meadow, he laid down in the center, where she had been lying when they first met. He stared up at the stars as another memory began to cloud his mind.

"_**You'll have to catch me first**_," he saw her running across the beach. Everything was replaying in his mind sped up. "_**I just wish that you'd found me earlier. I know this can't last.**_" The words echoed in his head, a grim prediction of what was to come. His eyes started tearing up again; he did nothing to stop it, just laid there and let the tears roll. It was so much easier to cry when he was alone, away from the castle.

Loki stayed there, unmoving, until his eyes ran dry. He should be in his bed right now, curled up asleep with his bride. He wiped his face dry as the sky began to brighten with the new day and pulled himself to his feet, leaving the meadow and making his way to the beach where they had shared their first kiss.

It had only been mere days since they'd been there together. The beach was otherwise untouched, and he could still see the soft indents in the dry sand where they had stepped, and the larger divot where he had laid her down and kissed her. He sat down next to it and grazed his fingers lightly across the sand she had once laid on. He'd give anything for one more moment with her. The pain in his chest was getting worse the longer he stared at it; his eyes lingered on it a few seconds more, then he turned his gaze to the waves as the sunrise started to peak in a blended swath of colors across the horizon.

He saw himself standing with her, both of them barefoot in the waves. The intensity of that moment, when he buried his hands in her hair and kissed her for the first time, the way she tensed up and grabbed at his clothes, pulling him closer. His eyes began to burn from trying to hold back the tears, and he gave in to it again. He closed his eyes to block out the sight of her and let the tears trace rivers down his cheeks.

"_Why can't I just wake up from this nightmare,_" he pleaded with himself, "_safe and warm in my bed, OUR bed, with my arms around her and my face buried in the sweet smell of her hair. Will I truly never know such peace again?_" The thought sent him even further into an emotional avalanche; his tears turned into violent sobbing as he was racked with grief. His hands were shaking uncontrollably and his back heaved with every gasping breath. He was alone, probably forever now; nobody could take her place in his world.

Loki stayed there until the last sliver of the night sky was gone. It took him that long to pull himself together just enough to go back to the castle. He went to the throne room and stood where he had been standing during the wedding. The huge room was empty; everyone who was awake was probably in the banquet hall having breakfast. The silence was deafening; he was almost expecting the memories to materialize before his eyes now. Nothing came, though, and he found himself standing there, waiting for something that might not be coming.

"_Is this...acceptance?_" he wondered. He was half afraid of not seeing her anymore; he wasn't ready to let go.

"_**Are you really here?**_" he heard her voice up the aisle to his left.

"_The dressing room. How could I forget about that?_" he scolded himself.

Loki watched as Sigyn made her way down the aisle to where he stood. He couldn't believe it had only been just yesterday; it felt like an eternity had passed.

She started frantically scanning the empty rows, as she had when she had been looking for him while he was disguised as Theoric.

"_**He wouldn't have lied...would he? Not when I need him most.**_" he heard her clear as day.

"_She didn't say that yesterday. Unless...unless I'm hearing her thoughts now. But that's not possible, not if she's dead. This doesn't make sense._"

She stood before him, nervously looking at him as she snuck peeks where the crowd had been. "_**But what if Theoric intends to do none of those things? Damn it, Loki, where are you?**_"

He watched as she closed her eyes and waited to be kissed, then he saw himself materialize in front of her. "_I've blocked out the sight of Theoric. And thankfully so, that would've most likely sent me into a rage._"

"_**Just think of Loki.**_" Sigyn's voice repeated to herself until she opened her eyes and saw him.

"_**No, Allfather. I accept this marriage, I don't wish for it to be annulled.**_"

At that, he saw himself grab her hand and both he and Sigyn disappeared. He was about to follow back up to his bedchambers, when he saw his mother walking towards him.

"I went to wake you for breakfast and found your chambers empty. Have you gotten any sleep at all?"

"No, Mother. I keep thinking about her, when I'm asleep I dream of her. Everything feels wrong without her."

Frigga sighed. "Come," she said, taking Loki's arm, "walk with me to breakfast. It's better than standing here still as a statue, staring at thin air." He had forgotten for a moment that only he could see Sigyn. Loki hesitantly walked with his mother. "I know things seem bleak right now, but it will get easier with time. You just need to stay strong. She wouldn't want you to torture yourself this way, Loki."

"No," he snapped, pulling his arm away from his mother, "she would want to be here, _alive_, by my side! Instead I'm tormented by ghosts of days past. There is no place safe for me in all of Asgard from the sight of her, I can't even sleep in my own bed."

"I meant no disrespect, Loki. I know this isn't easy for you, the bond that the two of you shared was one of great strength. It seems that it's still as strong after all that's happened."

"I keep questioning if she would've been better off with Theoric, or having never known me at all. If I hadn't inserted myself into her life, she would still be alive."

"The past is just that, an echo of yesterday. You can choose to bury yourself in it, dwelling on that which can't be changed, or you can choose to accept things for the way they are, and move forward. Yes, she is gone from this Realm," she said, choosing her words carefully, "but that doesn't mean you have to forget she existed. What you shared was fast and intense, and it was snuffed out much too soon. Keep her memory close to your heart and learn to live with the knowledge that she loved you wholeheartedly."

Loki took in what she said as she took his arm again, and they continued on their way to breakfast. He silently picked apart her words. "_Why does she continuously avoid saying that Sigyn is dead? Am I not the only one with problems accepting the truth of the matter?_"

He ate his breakfast in silence, sitting in a far corner of the room, away from his family. After he was finished eating he quietly slipped out of the banquet hall and made his way back to his chambers. He knew he had to take care of the state of things and have her blood cleaned from his floor.

He hesitated before opening his doors, taking a deep breath before pushing the doors open. It was the first time since her death that he had seen the room in the daylight. He slowly walked along the marble tile, taking in the chaotic aftermath of what had clearly been a struggle between Theoric and Sigyn. "_She had tried to get away. I'll never know what really happened before I got back here to her._" He stepped around the dried puddle of her blood on the floor at the foot of his bed. The blanket was in a tangled mess on the floor; a huge gash was in his mattress where he had left the projection of himself next to her. "_The bastard aimed to kill me while I slept. What a coward._" He sat on the bed and put his head in his hands.

"_**Are you going to join me, husband?**_" he heard her from the direction of the bathroom.

"Sigyn..." he said aloud to himself, looking up from his hands to catch a flash of her hair as she turned and moved out of view towards the bathtub. He knew what was coming next if he followed her; he hesitated, debating whether or not he really wanted to put himself through seeing what he would never have again with her, but ultimately he pushed himself up off of the bed and slowly looked into the bathroom. The water was untouched, the tub still full from their bath. He saw himself at one end, his head tilted back and eyes closed, hands with iron grips on either side of the tub, as her hands and lips touched his skin.

"_Why this? Of all things, why this?_" He couldn't look away, as much as it pained him knowing he'd never be so close to anyone again as he had been to her. The biting pain in his chest was so intense that he just wanted to scream, but he didn't want to interrupt the hallucinatory sight of her; it was all that he had left. He watched her kissing him in the tub as tears began to roll down his cheeks again.

"_You're alone now. You're alone and this isn't real. You can't bring her back, you couldn't even keep her here. You should have known that he would come when he woke; you were a fool to think that the castle was safe enough..._" He berated himself in his head, closing his eyes to stop the tears. When he opened them, all he saw was the empty bathtub. Before he could stop himself, he pulled the plug from the drain and watched as the bathwater circled the drain and was gone. He was about to leave the bathroom when he heard her voice again from the direction of his bed. "_**...I trust you. Don't hold back.**_"

"_I can't watch any more of this._" He kept his eyes straight ahead of him as he moved across the main room as quick as he could walk, and ducked into the library again. "_I just need to sleep, maybe I'll get some peace from this._"

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Three hours later, Frigga stood in the hall outside of Loki's chambers, knocking gently on the door. She opened the door when she got no response, slowly peeking her head in; Loki was nowhere in sight. She entered, closing the door behind her, and made her way to his library.

She found him mumbling in his sleep, violently tossing and turning on the couch in the corner of the room. She hurried to him and tried to wake her son.

"**Loki!**" she shouted, but couldn't rouse him from his sleep. He was obviously having a nightmare. Out of options, she slapped him across the face; he screamed out Sigyn's name and leapt up from where he slept as Frigga wrapped her arms around him and they both collapsed to the floor as she tried to calm him. "Shh, it's alright. You were only dreaming. It's okay now."

He held onto her until he regained his bearings, then pushed away from her onto the floor. "What are you doing here, Mother?"

"It's almost time, Loki."

"Time for what?"

"The funeral." She saw tears welling up in his eyes. "I know that you want to be alone, but I can't allow you to sit this out. Iwaldi and Freya, as well as their other daughters, are all grieving for Sigyn, too. You are not as alone as you imagine."

"I never said that I wasn't going," he said as he stood, "although I will admit I don't know what to say to any of them."

"You can't continue to blame yourself for what happened, Loki," Frigga sighed. "Come, let's make our way down before the streets get crowded," she said, taking his arm as they left his bedchambers.

"Crowded? Why would it be crowded?"

"Even though it was only for one day, she was still part of the royal family. All of Asgard will be in attendance to mourn their princess." They walked the rest of the way to the beach in silence as the night fell over Asgard.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Frigga and Loki were the first ones to the beach where the funeral was to be held. The healers arrived shortly afterwards with Sigyn's body; Loki refused to look at her, closing his eyes as they passed him.

A few minutes later, Freya, Iwaldi, and their daughters arrived, amidst the other Asgardians filling the beach. Frigga hugged Freya as Loki looked at Sigyn's sisters. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.

All six of the girls had their hair in braids with wildflowers stuck in their hair, the same flowers from the meadow that he had stuck in Sigyn's window. They were all holding each others hands, forming a chain along the beach; Lofn was closest to Loki and, without saying a word, she grabbed his hand as the funeral began. His first instinct was to pull his hand away, but he stopped himself. He needed Sigyn's sisters now as much as he needed her; they were proof that she had been there, that their love was real.

Sigyn's body was pushed out into the water in the darkness; the archer readied a flaming arrow and Loki looked away as he let it loose in the direction that she had drifted, landing its mark and lighting her body ablaze. Loki looked to his right at the flowers in her sisters' hair, then back to the fire surrounding her body. He took a couple steps forward towards the water, pulling Lofn and, in turn, the other girls, until Lofn squeezed his hand and he stopped in his tracks. He felt sick; he just wanted to run into the water and follow her body past the edge of Asgard. He was losing her for good now.

The longer Loki stood there, watching Sigyn drift away from him, the more he felt that he needed to follow her. He didn't notice that he had started crying and his hands were shaking; all he felt was a rising, uncontrollable urge to throw himself into the water and leave Asgard. Lofn held tight to his right hand, probably the only thing grounding him to the shore. Sigyn's body was almost to the edge where the water fell off of Asgard. Loki dropped to his knees in defeat, watching helplessly as she was about to leave Asgard forever.

"Sigyn..." Loki whispered, barely loud enough for Lofn to hear. He pulled his hand from her and started edging closer to the water's edge. Lofn was quick to try to hold him back but he used a pulse of magic to knock down everyone who had been standing close to him. He stood and walked into the water up to his knees; he was about to dive into the water when he saw Frigga's hand come up to his forehead.

"Don't do this. Sleep, Loki."

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Loki awoke hours later on the couch in his library. He didn't remember anything after Frigga had made him fall asleep. He hadn't had any dreams while under his mother's sleep spell, and he actually felt a little bit better now that he had had some rest. He walked out of the library to find that his mother had his room cleaned while he had slept. Sigyn's blood was gone from the floor, and the mattress that Theoric had driven his sword into had been replaced.

He stepped out onto the balcony as daylight started to peek over the horizon. He was about to leave for the banquet hall for breakfast when he heard a voice behind him.

"_**Can you untie my dress?**_"

"_It can't be...that's impossible..._" he thought to himself, covering his ears with his hands to muffle the sound of her voice. "_Even if the memories were an echo of her, her body has been...destroyed now. There's no reason why these memories should be this crippling, unless she was still alive. But I watched her body burn, I know I did. Am I going to be plagued by this for the rest of my days?" _He hesitated, lingering on the balcony as he tried to reason with what was happening. "_I can't tell anyone, they'll think that I've gone mad. I have to learn to control it, to bury it. I have to push Sigyn to the back of my mind; it's the only way I can move on._"

Loki lowered his hands, turning around to face the hallucination of her, standing nude just inside the balcony doors, her wedding dress crumpled on the floor. He focused as hard as he could, and watched as she faded away. He looked around his room, feeling wrong for what he had just done. "_No, you need to get past this,_" he reassured himself, before making his way out of his chambers to the banquet hall.


	11. Chapter 11: Hallucinations

**A/N: Catching up to the Thor MCU storyline in this chapter. This is a VERY long chapter; I've followed the movie verbatim, adding to it where I needed to. I don't own any of the Marvel characters, etc. This wraps up Part One. I'll be continuing this into a separate story on here. **

**Now where is Sigyn? Hmm...**

Hallucinations

As time passed, Loki tried to subdue the visions of Sigyn, but she haunted him every day. Some days it was harder to push her down; everything he had ever loved about her was now just a painful reminder of how he had failed to save her. It was finally the morning of Thor's coronation. Miraculously, nobody seemed to notice that Loki was plagued by the memories of her.

"_Although,_" he thought, "_perhaps everyone was just too busy fretting over Thor's upcoming rise to the throne to worry about pitiful, grieving Loki. I'm forever doomed to live in the cold of Thor's shadow, alone and inadequate, the lesser child, worthy of no throne. If I only had her here with me..._" he trailed off as he started thinking of Sigyn again.

"_**Loki...**_" he heard her voice whispered in his ear, a silent pressing scream for his attention.

"_No,_" he thought, refusing to let her come through. He dug his fingernails into his palms to keep his head clear.

Loki kept his word to Laufey and had prepared the Jotuns an access portal into Odin's Trophy Room. He kept a cool exterior, but without Sigyn to calm his rage, he was seething with jealousy below the surface. The last time that the throne room had been so full was on their wedding day. Her face began to cloud his mind again, as he stood to the left of the throne, next to Frigga.

"_Not here. Not right now. Bury it deep._"

Frigga glanced at him and he faked a smile. Thor was making a ridiculous scene as he approached the throne. Loki looked on as Thor removed his helmet, resting it upon Mjolnir and winking at their Mother. Odin stood and began to speak.

"Thor Odinson, my heir, my firstborn." Each word felt like a knife in Loki's back. "So long entrusted with the mighty hammer Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, its power has no equal, as a weapon to destroy or as a tool to build. 'Tis a fit companion for a King. I have defended Asgard and the lives of the innocent across the Nine Realms from the time of the Great Beginning. Though the day has come..."

Loki stopped paying attention to his Father's words. He could feel the portal opening; the Jotun weren't far off now.

Odin began asking Thor the questions leading to his taking control of the throne. Just as he was about to proclaim Thor as king, he paused. "The Frost Giants."

"_Damn. I'd hoped I'd provide them more time to escape, but they were just in time to stop Thor from taking the throne, so there's that. The Destroyer will make short work of them now._"

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Odin, Thor, and Loki made their way down to the Trophy Room. Thor was clearly angered by the intrusion, as Odin assessed the situation. Loki kept quiet, observing their reactions. Odin and Thor argued about the severity of the breach back and forth, until Thor snapped at Odin.

"As King of Asgard..."

"But you're not king!" Odin interrupted. "Not yet."

Thor was clearly upset; Loki stayed silent in the background, watching their argument unfold. Odin walked away without another word, leaving the brothers in the Trophy Room.

Thor looked at Loki once Odin had gone, then stormed off to the banquet hall. Loki calmly followed behind him, watching as Thor flipped over an entire table of food in his rage. As Thor sat on the steps of the banquet hall, Loki quietly approached him, taking a seat by Thor's side.

"It's unwise to be in my company right now, Brother," Thor snapped. "This was to be my day of triumph."

"It'll come, in time," Loki replied calmly. Sif and the Warriors Three entered the banquet hall, assessing the damage from Thor's outburst.

"If it's any consolation," Loki continued, "I think you're right. About the Frost Giants, about Laufey, about everything. If they found a way to penetrate Asgard's defenses once, who's to say they won't try again? Next time with an army."

"Exactly," Thor replied.

"There's nothing you can do without defying Father," Loki reminded Thor, as they exchanged glances. "No, no, no. I know that look."

"That's the only way to ensure the safety of our borders."

"Thor, it's madness."

"_He can't truly be thinking of seeking revenge behind Father's back. It really must have pushed his buttons to be so close to the throne. Had it not been for his arrogance, the ceremony might have resumed._"

"Madness? What sort of madness?" Volstagg interrupted as Sif watched the two brothers.

"We're going to Jotunheim," Thor replied. His friends immediately tried to talk him out of it, but Thor wouldn't be swayed. He kept talking, convincing them all to join him. Loki rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"_Well, this day just keeps getting better,_" he thought to himself sarcastically, looking nervously between Thor and his friends as he won them over, one by one. Loki knew that if they all agreed to go, he couldn't sit it out; he'd have to join them.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

The six of them made their way on horseback to the Bifrost, where Heimdall stood waiting for them. Loki approached him, but he already knew their intentions.

"You're not dressed warmly enough," he interrupted.

"I'm sorry?" Loki questioned him.

"Do you think that you can deceive me?" Heimdall replied.

Thor interrupted their bickering.

"Never has an enemy slipped my watch until this day," Heimdall spoke to Thor, "I wish to know how that happened."

"Then tell no one where we have gone until we've returned," Thor ordered. "Understand?"

All of the group except for Loki entered the Bifrost; Heimdall stared him down for a moment.

"What happened?" Volstagg joked as he passed Loki, "Silver tongue turned to lead?"

Heimdall activated the Bifrost, opening the path to Jotunheim. He warned the group before they left that he would first and foremost protect Asgard, adding that he would leave them to die on Jotunheim, if need be.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

The group landed on the icy wastelands of Jotunheim at the edge of a great precipice.

"We shouldn't be here," Hogun said.

"_A bit late for that,_" Loki thought, quickly giving Hogun a sideways glance.

"Let's move," Thor said calmly.

The group cautiously made their way across the frozen ground until they came upon Laufey's throne. They found it odd that the place seemed so deserted.

"You've come a long way to die, Asgardians," Laufey's voice boomed from above them.

"How did your people get into Asgard?" Thor demanded.

"The House of Odin is full of traitors," Laufey replied, eyeing Loki.

"_He wouldn't dare expose me,_" Loki thought nervously.

"Do not dishonor my father's name with your lies!" Thor shouted.

"Your father is a murderer and a thief," Laufey retorted, "And why have you come here? To make peace? You long for battle. You crave it. You're nothing but a boy trying to prove himself a man."

Jotuns had started to surround them in the shadows, preparing to fight, as Thor continued to argue with Laufey.

"Thor, stop and think," Loki interjected, "Look around you, we're outnumbered."

"Know your place, Brother," Thor snapped.

"You know not what your actions would unleash," Laufey replied calmly. He seemed deep in thought. "I do. Go now, while I still allow it."

A Frost Giant walked right up to the brothers. Loki bowed his head to Laufey. "We will accept your most gracious offer." He turned away as Thor looked angrily at the Jotun before them. "Come on, Brother."

"Run back home, little princess," the giant said mockingly to Thor.

"Damn."

"_Well, that was necessary. What a fool. There's no avoiding a battle now._"

The Frost Giants were upon the group, but they were able to defend themselves. A Giant lunged at Loki, but flew right through his projection and fell over the cliff's edge.

In his mind, he saw Sigyn smiling. "_Damn it, not here! Why does my mind ceaselessly torture me so?_" he hesitated, pulling back his projections as he ducked behind the icy columns.

He heard Volstagg scream in pain as a Jotun grabbed his bare arm, instantly leaving a frostbitten handprint where he touched him. Volstagg yelled a warning to the group.

Loki attacked a Jotun who grabbed his wrist, shattering his bracer as it froze. Instead of pain, Loki's arm began to turn blue as he looked on in disbelief. The Jotun made eye contact with Loki, equally confused, before Loki stabbed him in the heart, killing him. He stared down at his arm as it returned to its normal color, looking around to make sure that nobody else had noticed.

Fandral killed one Jotun, but another snuck up behind him, impaling his left shoulder; Loki quickly used his magic to take out Fandral's attacker. The group shouted at Thor to leave, but he instructed them to go on without him, throwing Mjolnir and taking out a row of Frost Giants.

Laufey became distressed and awoke a Jotun Beast, sending it barreling after the fleeing group of Asgardians.

"**RUN!**" Volstagg shouted, lifting the wounded Fandral onto his shoulders.

The ice began to crack and the beast fell out of sight as the group began calling out to Heimdall to open the Bifrost. As the group reached the cliff where they had entered Jotunheim, the beast clawed its way up from beneath the ice and moved to attack the group, when suddenly Thor burst through the monster's head, killing it. He turned back to a horde of Frost Giants surrounding the group on the cliff's edge.

Suddenly, Odin came down through the Bifrost on his horse. He silenced Thor, and exchanged words with Laufey as he moved to attack Odin. Before Laufey could strike, Odin brought the group back to Asgard.

Thor immediately began arguing with Odin, as his friends left to bring Fandral to the Healing Room. The brothers were left alone with Odin; Loki listened as they argued again. They both threw insults at each other, then fell silent.

"I was a fool," Odin replied to Thor, "to think you were ready."

"Father..." Loki tried to step in, but Odin growled at him, effectively silencing him.

"Thor Odinson," Odin began, "you have betrayed the express command of you king. Through your arrogance and stupidity, you've opened these peaceful realms and innocent lives to the horror and desolation of war!" Odin opened the Bifrost, stepping up to Thor. "You are unworthy of these realms! You're unworthy of your title!" He began stripping Thor of his armor as Loki watched in shock. Thor's eyes were brimming with tears as their father continued yelling. "You're unworthy of the loved ones you have betrayed." Odin took a few steps back and continued, pulling Mjolnir from Thor's hands. "I now take from you your power. In the name of my father and his father before, I, Odin Allfather, cast you out!"

As Odin shouted, Thor was thrown backwards through the Bifrost. Loki couldn't believe what was happening; another vision of Sigyn started to rise up to the surface and his eyes started to tear up. He stepped towards the open portal as Odin whispered Mjolnir, "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." With that, he threw Mjolnir after Thor, as Loki looked on in disbelief.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

After Odin retreated from the Bifrost, Loki met up with Thor's friends in the Healing Room. He eyed his hand as Volstagg's frostbite was treated, wondering to himself why he was unscathed. Sigyn was pushing her way up again in his mind, this time a memory of her grabbing his hands and pulling him down on top of her in their bed on their wedding day. He shook his head, trying to clear his head of it. He had gotten better at subduing the visions, but they were still emotionally crippling when they came through.

The group questioned how Odin had found out that they had gone to Jotunheim, and Loki told them it had been he who sent a guard to tell Odin. They began to argue with him to ask Odin to reconsider Thor's banishment, but Loki sided with Odin on account of Thor's recent reckless behavior. Before they could argue further, Loki left the room.

"_I've more pressing matters than to stand here and quarrel over something I can't change. As if Odin would even listen to me if I were to try._"

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Loki made his way to the Trophy Room. There was nothing he could do for Thor, but he had to know why the Frost Giant hadn't injured him on Jotunheim. He approached the Jotun's Casket, slowly, nervously raising his hands to it. He took a deep breath before gripping it.

The moment he laid his hands on it, he swore he heard her voice. "_**Until the end of time itself. My husband.**_" His hands clenched the Casket so hard that his knuckles turned white. He lifted it easily, without harm, as his fingers began turning blue as his arm had on Jotunheim.

"Stop!" Odin yelled from the stairs behind him.

"Am I cursed?" Loki asked nervously.

"No."

"What am I?" Loki calmly inquired as he set the Casket back down.

"_**My husband,**_" Sigyn's voice echoed in his head again.

"You're my son."

Loki turned to face Odin, his appearance completely changed to that of a Frost Giant. "What more than that?" His skin returned to its normal Asgardian hue as he began to approach Odin, still standing on the staircase. "The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?" he asked, his eyes tearing up.

"_As if I haven't gone through enough as of late, losing...her... Now I'm not even from this Realm._"

Odin hesitated as Loki reached the bottom of the stairs. "No. In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the temple and I found a baby. Small for a Giant's offspring. Abandoned, suffering, left to die. Laufey's son."

Loki let Odin's words sink in. "_**I love you, Loki.**_" Her smiling face filled his head again, as though his subconscious was trying to calm the flooding anger and rage.

"Laufey's son," he repeated Odin's words.

"Yes."

"Why?" he felt the anger brimming up again, his blood starting to boil. "_If I ever needed Sigyn to calm me, now would definitely be one of those times,_" he thought regretfully. "You were knee-deep in Jotun blood, why would you take me?"

"You were an innocent child."

"No," Loki argued, getting more agitated by the minute, "you took me for a purpose. What was it?"

Odin stood silent, not giving an answer. Loki couldn't contain the rage anymore.

"**TELL ME!**" he shouted at Odin.

"I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day. Bring about an alliance, bring about permanent peace. Through you."

"What?"

"But those plans no longer matter."

This was unbelievable. "So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have a use of me."

"Why do you twist my words?"

"You could have told me what I was from the beginning, why didn't you?"

"You're my son. I wanted only to protect you from the truth."

"Because I'm the monster parents tell their children about at night?"

"No, no." Odin began to sit down on the steps.

"_Thankfully Sigyn isn't here for __**this**__, even one as tolerant and accepting as she shouldn't have to stoop to remaining married to a monstrous Jotun._"

"You know, it all makes sense now! Why you favored Thor all these years! Because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!" he continued yelling at Odin.

Odin fell unconscious on the stairs before answering Loki. Loki looked down at him in confusion, afraid to touch him. After a moment, he gently rested his hand on top of Odin's, then called for the guards.

"Guards, please, help!" he yelled again, stepping back down the stairs as two guards came in, attending to the fallen King.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

"Allfather, we must speak with you urgently," Sif said, approaching the throne with the Warriors Three. The group was surprised to find Loki sitting on the throne instead of Odin.

"My friends," Loki greeted them.

"Where's Odin?" Fandral asked, stepping forward.

"Father has fallen into the Odinsleep. Mother fears he may never awaken again."

"We would speak with her," Sif said as the four walked closer to Loki.

"She has refused to leave my father's bedside. You can bring your urgent matter to me," Loki said, standing from the throne. "Your king."

The group knelt down to Loki, then Sif spoke. "My King, we would ask that you end Thor's banishment."

Loki scoffed, slowly descending the steps before the throne, "My first command cannot be to undo the Allfather's last. We're on the brink of war with Jotunheim. Our people need a sense of continuity, in order to feel safe in these difficult times. All of us must stand together for the good of Asgard."

"_**I vow to be faithful to my groom...**_" Loki didn't let on that he saw Sigyn standing before him as she had looked on their wedding day, "_**until the end of time itself.**_"

Sif jumped to her feet, but Fandral and Hogun grabbed her arms. "Yes, of course," Fandral replied to Loki.

"Good," Loki continued. "Then you will wait for my word."

"If I may," Volstagg began, "beg the indulgence of Your Majesty to perhaps reconsider..."

"We're done." Loki needed them to leave so that he could focus and make the memory of Sigyn stop. The Warriors Three joined Sif on their feet, and the three men turned to leave as Sif stared Loki down. He slightly bent down in her direction, intending it as a threat, before she turned and followed the Warriors Three, all the while glaring at Loki as she turned away.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Once they had gone, Loki couldn't stand to remain in the throne room any longer with the risk of Sigyn popping back up. He retreated to his parents' chambers to check on Odin's state and comfort his mother.

"I never get used to seeing him like this," he spoke softly to Frigga, as they sat on opposite sides of Odin laying still in his bed.

"He's put it off for so long now, that I fear..." she trailed off as she grabbed her sleeping husband's hand.

"How long will it last?"

"I don't know. This time it's different. We were unprepared."

"So why did he lie?"

"_Poor Sigyn would probably have been repulsed at the sight of me as a Frost Giant. Perhaps it's better she died before she found that out. What would our offspring even have looked like; Asgardian, Jotun, and Dwarf altogether._"

"He kept the truth from you so that you would never feel different. You are our son, Loki, and we, your family. We mustn't lose hope that your father will return to us. And your brother."

"What hope is there for Thor?"

"There's always a purpose to everything your father does."

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Loki decided to sneak past Heimdall to Midgard to see how Thor was faring in his exile. He found Thor held captive, being interrogated by Agent Coulson, and he waited until Coulson left Thor alone for an opportunity to speak to Thor unnoticed.

"_At least here I'm safe from seeing Sigyn._"

"Loki! What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you."

"What's happened? Tell me. Is it Jotunheim? Let me explain to Father."

"Father is dead," Loki lied. He wasn't really sure why he said it; it just slipped out.

Thor looked crushed. "What?" he finally managed.

"Your banishment, the threat of a new war, it was too much for him to bear. You mustn't blame yourself. I know that you loved him. I tried to tell him so, but he wouldn't listen. It was so cruel to put the hammer within your reach, knowing that you could never lift it. The burden of the throne has fallen to me now."

Thor began to cry, despite his best efforts not to. "Can I come home?"

"The truce with Jotunheim is conditional upon your exile."

"Yes, but couldn't we find a way..." Thor begged.

"And Mother has forbidden your return. This is goodbye, Brother. I'm so sorry."

"No. I am sorry. Thank you for coming here."

"Farewell," Loki said as he turned and walked out, just as Coulson returned to the holding cell.

"Goodbye," Thor replied.

"Goodbye?" Coulson asked, "I just got back."

Loki walked up to Mjolnir, unseen by Midgardian eyes. He placed one hand, then two, upon the hammer, pulling with all his might. The hammer wouldn't budge. Loki glanced up at the sky in frustration before leaving.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Loki made his way to Jotunheim. He had complete control of Asgard now, and with nobody to act as his conscience, he intended to bend things to his will. The last time that he was here alone was when he dragged Theoric to Laufey to die.

"_The day that I lost Sigyn..._"

He made his way alone through the snow to Laufey's throne room. Laufey was sitting on his throne, we several other Jotun surrounding him.

"Kill him," Laufey instructed them.

"_Oh, Father, you truly have no idea of my true parentage, do you?_" Loki mockingly thought to himself.

"After all I've done for you?" Loki patronized him.

"Yes. You showed us the way into Asgard, as repayment for our assisting in the death of your poor wife's murderer."

"_You just had to bring that up, didn't you? To throw my pain back in my face. If you only knew what I knew now._"

"Yes, well, that turned out to be just a bit of fun, really. To ruin my brother's big day. And to protect the realm from his idiotic rule for a while longer."

"I will hear you."

"I will conceal you and a handful of your soldiers, lead you into Odin's chambers, and you can slay him where he lies."

"Why not kill him yourself?"

"I suspect that the Asgardians would not take kindly to a king who had murdered his predecessor. Once Odin is dead, I will return the Casket to you," Loki continued as Laufey stood, "and you can return Jotunheim to all its..." he paused, looking around the desolate frozen room, "glory."

"I accept," Laufey said, and without another word, Loki returned to Asgard.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Heimdall was waiting when Loki returned through the Bifrost.

"What troubles you, Gatekeeper?"

"I turned my gaze upon you in Jotunheim, but could neither see you nor hear you. You were shrouded from me, like the Frost Giants that entered this realm."

"_Heimdall has seemed to be wary of me ever since Sigyn's death._"

"Perhaps your senses have weakened after your many years of service."

"Or perhaps someone has found a way to hide that which he does not wish me to see."

"You have great power, Heimdall," Loki said as he began to circle around Heimdall within the Bifrost. "Did Odin ever fear you?"

"No."

"And why is that?"

"Because he is my king and I am sworn to obey him."

"He was your king and you're sworn to obey me now. Yes?"

"Yes."

"Then you will open the Bifrost to no one until I have repaired the damage my brother has done."

Loki left before Heimdall could object. Everything was falling perfectly into place.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Loki watched the Bifrost from the castle after seeing Thor's friends go down to meet with Heimdall. He was angered upon seeing the bridge open despite his orders, allowing the four to go after Thor.

He made his way down into the Trophy Room, using Odin's spear to activate The Destroyer.

"_Enough of this. I've just as much right to claim the throne as Thor had. It's my turn to rule Asgard._"

"Ensure my brother does not return. Destroy everything."

"_**Loki. My husband.**_"

"_Please, not now, Sigyn,_" he sighed. "_I can't keep acting as though you're still alive, love._"

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Loki angrily approached Heimdall as he stood his post outside of the Bifrost.

"_How dare he disregard my orders as king and allow them to leave._"

"_**Loki...**_" her voice echoed in his head.

"Tell me, Loki, how did you get the Jotuns into Asgard?"

"_**Are you going to join me, husband?**_" she sounded so far away. He dug his nails into his palm again to push her under. This wasn't the time or place for this; it never really was.

"You think the Bifrost is the only way in and out of this realm? There are secret paths between the worlds to which even you, with all your gifts, are blind. But I have need of them no longer, now that I am king. And I say, for your act of treason, you are relieved of your duties as Gatekeeper, and no longer citizen of Asgard."

"Then I need no longer obey you."

Heimdall moved to strike Loki with his sword, but Loki was faster, materializing the Jotun Casket and covering Heimdall in a thick layer of solid ice. His own Jotun appearance came out again as he held the Casket, but he returned to normal as soon as he hid it away again.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Once Heimdall wasn't in his way, Loki sent The Destroyer down to Midgard. He returned to the throne to watch everything play out. The Destroyer landed in the desert, surrounded by men in suits.

"Hello. You are using unregistered weapons technology. Identify yourself." The Destroyer's face opened up as the men looked on. "Here we go." Fire rose up inside of the metal that made up The Destroyer, and the men yelled and started scrambling for cover. "Incoming!" The Destroyer shot beams of fire at their cars, before moving on towards the small town where Thor and his friends were watching.

Once it reached the town, it continued blasting everything in its path, until it came upon Sif and the Warriors Three. She separated from the three men as they moved to fight.

Fandral and Hogun threw Volstagg at The Destroyer, but it quickly flung him back against a parked car. Just as it was about to open fire on Volstagg, Sif jumped onto its back from the rooftops, impaling it with her weapon. For a brief moment, it appeared to shut down, but then the fire inside it reignited and its metal body twisted around beneath Sif so that it was now facing her, and it attempted to fire upon her as she leapt to the ground. The Destroyer lifted itself off of Sif's weapon as Sif instructed the others to fall back.

It continued to attack Thor's friends, shooting fire at them and blasting them away from each other. Thor ran to Sif, then to the Warriors Three, telling them all to return to Asgard and stop Loki. As the four Asgardians and the three humans backed away, Thor marched right up to The Destroyer, alone and unarmed. The group stopped to watch him.

"Brother," Thor spoke, knowing that Loki could hear him through The Destroyer, "whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to this, I am truly sorry. But these people are innocent. Taking their lives will gain you nothing." The Destroyer's face opened again to attack as Thor drew nearer. "So take mine and end this. None of this destruction will bring her back, Brother; none of this will end your pain, but you don't need to create more pain from it. Sigyn would never have wanted that."

As Thor spoke Sigyn's name, The Destroyer's face closed, as though through Sigyn's memory, Thor had gotten through to Loki. It turned to walk away from Thor, then without warning, swung its giant metal arm and backhanded Thor across the face, sending him flying through the street with a sickening crack.

"_You dared to use her name against me?! Such a sweet sound shall not leave your lips without due punishment. Her memory is mine, and mine alone; not a tool to sway my judgment._"

Thor appeared to breathe his last breath as Loki watched through The Destroyer, returning to the throne and commanding it to walk away from the group.

Suddenly, Mjolnir came flying across the sky to Thor, reviving him as both Loki and The Destroyer turned around to watch. Thor's armor surrounded his body as The Destroyer readied to attack again; Thor threw his hammer and knocked The Destroyer off of its feet. As it moved to attack again, Thor took to the sky, creating a great storm cloud around The Destroyer. He pulled it up into the sky as Loki made it attempt to hit him with fire again, but Thor used Mjolnir to defeat it, sending it crashing down into the street.

With the connection with The Destroyer broken, Loki returned to the Bifrost, bringing Laufey and a few lesser Jotuns through the bridge.

"Welcome to Asgard," he spoke to Laufey. They walked past a still-frozen Heimdall. Two of the Jotuns stayed behind, waiting near Heimdall; Loki, Laufey, and a third Jotun began moving towards the castle. Loki lingered behind as Laufey entered his parents' chambers; Frigga stabbed the lesser Jotun with a sword, but Laufey swatted her away onto the floor as he eyed the sleeping Odin. He climbed atop the unconscious king, prying Odin's remaining eye open.

"It's said you can still hear and see what transpires around you. I hope it's true, so that you may know your death came at the hand of Laufey," the Jotun king said, creating a dagger of ice in his hand with which he intended to take Odin's life. As he raised his right hand to strike, he was attacked from behind and knocked clear of Odin by a blast of fire from the Allfather's spear.

"And your death came by the son of Odin," Loki spoke, glaring at Laufey. As Laufey peered up at Loki, gasping for breath, Loki struck again, reducing Laufey to ash as Frigga stood and ran to her son, hugging him.

"Loki! You saved him!"

"I swear to you, Mother, that they will pay for what they've done today."

"Loki," Thor's voice came from the doorway.

"Thor!" Frigga ran to him as Loki looked on. "I knew you'd return to us."

"_**I want you, Loki... You'll have to catch me first...**_" she was coming through again as his plans were falling apart before his eyes. Everything was going wrong all at once, spiraling out of control. He couldn't push Sigyn out of his head.

"Why don't you tell her," Thor began, angrily staring Loki down as they moved around each other, circling Odin's bed, "how you sent The Destroyer to kill our friends, to kill me?"

"What?" Frigga exclaimed.

"_**Loki...**_"

"Why, it must have been enforcing Father's last command."

"You're a talented liar, Brother. Always have been."

"_**I want you, Loki...until the end of time itself...**_"

"It's good to have you back," Loki said to Thor, trying his hardest to hold it together. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to destroy Jotunheim." He blasted Thor through the castle wall, and proceeded to make his way to the Bifrost, opening it to ravage the Jotun world.

"_**Loki...listen...please...**_"

Thor arrived before Loki had time to dwell on Sigyn's voice in his head.

"You can't stop it. The Bifrost will build until it rips Jotunheim apart." Thor tried to swing Mjolnir, but Loki used the spear to knock him back. The Frost Giants could be heard screaming through the open bridge.

"Why have you done this?" Thor begged for an answer.

"To prove to Father that I am the worthy son. When he wakes, I will have saved his life. I will have destroyed that race of monsters. And I will be true heir to the throne!"

"_**Loki...please...must...listen...**_" Her words were jumbled and hesitant.

"You can't kill an entire race!"

"Why not?" Loki laughed. "And what is this newfound love for the Frost Giants? You could have killed them all with your bare hands."

"I've changed."

"So have I," Loki replied, swinging the spear across Thor's cheek. "Now fight me." He struck Thor again, knocking him to the ground. "I never wanted the throne! I only ever wanted to be your equal."

"_**Loki...stop...please...**_" she echoed in his head.

"I will not fight you, Brother!" Thor screamed in desperation.

"I'm not your brother. I never was."

"_**Loki...**_"

"Loki, this is madness."

"_**Loki...please...**_"

"Is it madness? Is it? Is it?! Come on. What happened to you on Earth that turned you so soft?" Loki ranted, his eyes brimming with tears as he kept trying to silence Sigyn's voice as she became louder and louder in his head. "Don't tell me it was that woman. Oh! It was! Well, maybe, when we're finished here, I'll teach you of my pain you seem to know so much of, and I'll pay her a visit myself!"

"_**Loki...stop...**_"

Thor yelled as the two brothers lunged at each other, swinging their weapons at each other as they circled the inside of the Bifrost. They fought until they both were simultaneously knocked out of the Bifrost.

"Thor!" Loki yelled for help as he slid over the edge of the bridge. "Brother, please." Thor reached to pull him up, but then Loki vanished from his hands. Loki laughed as he snuck up behind Thor, striking his armor as he made multiple projections of himself to hide his true location.

"Enough!" Thor shouted, using Mjolnir to knock Loki down, destroying his illusions. He walked to where Loki had fallen, and placed Mjolnir on his chest, stopping him from moving. Loki screamed as he tried to move the hammer, but it wouldn't budge for him. Thor edged closer to the imploding Bifrost as it spun out of control, still pulling the life out of Jotunheim.

"Look at you," Loki snarled at him, "the Mighty Thor, with all your strength, and what good does it do you now, huh?" His head fell back in pain from trying to speak with the weight of Mjolnir on his chest. "Do you hear me, Brother? There's nothing you can do!"

"_**Stop this...Loki...**_"

Thor reached out and Mjolnir flew into his hand; he struck the bridge, cracking it with the hammer. He continued to bring the hammer down as Loki slowly sat up, watching in confusion.

"What are you doing? If you destroy the bridge, you'll never see her again!"

"_Don't be a fool, Brother. You'll end up as alone as I am,_" Loki thought to himself.

"Forgive me, Jane," Thor said, as Loki ran up behind him. Loki pounced at Thor as he delivered the final blow, shattering the bridge and cutting loose the Bifrost.

"_**LOKI...**_" her voice was deafening in his head as both brothers fell, Thor grabbing the other end of the spear Loki clung to. Odin appeared, grabbing hold of Thor's ankle, saving his sons from falling over. Thor groaned, trying to hold on to Loki as he swung over the void of the universe.

"I could have done it, Father! I could have done it! For you! For all of us!" he hesitated as a single tear ran down his cheek. "For her..."

"No, Loki," Odin replied.

Loki stopped trying to hold back his tears, staring up at Odin and Thor as he dangled weightlessly from the end of the spear.

"Loki, no!" Thor shouted at him as Loki let go of the spear. "No!"

In the split second before he fell, Loki saw Sigyn standing beside Odin, glowing like his own projections did, her arms reaching out for him as she screamed his name at the sky from a place only he could hear. "_**Loki! I'm still here! Please!**_" She vanished before he could react.

"_That...that isn't a memory,_" he thought before he disappeared through the closing hole that was left from the Bifrost.

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Months later, Dr. Selvig and Nick Fury were meeting in a SHIELD facility to discuss working together to harness energy from a cube that SHIELD had acquired.

Loki looked on, unnoticed, from within a mirror. He turned towards the doctor, whispering, "Well, I guess that's worth a look."

Dr. Selvig repeated Loki's words, smiling at Nick Fury.

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Meanwhile, at an undisclosed SHIELD safe house...

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Agent Coulson and Tony Stark stood around a cryogenic sleep chamber in a dimly lit room with no windows, in the basement of the safe house.

"Who is she?" Tony asked Agent Coulson, pulling up the cryo-chamber's vitals on one of the computers in the room.

"That's what we're here to find out. This was left to SHIELD by Peggy Carter and your father after his death."

"My father was involved in this? That's why you brought me in on it? Can't we just open it and wake her up?" Tony peered in at her face. "Is her hair white?"

"Platinum blonde, as far as we can tell. Judging by her vitals, we don't think she's from around here."

"Meaning what exactly? Sweden?"

"No," Agent Coulson laughed as he flipped through a file folder that had been on a desk next to the cryo-chamber, "a bit farther away. More like outside of our solar system. Your father didn't leave much in his notes about her, just that she's extremely intelligent, she can 'bend reality,' whatever that means, and she has no memory of where she's from, except that she, and I quote, 'dreams of a dark-haired prince.' He also added that she isn't a threat."

"So let's crack this tank open and wake Sleeping Beauty up."

"That's the problem. It's locked from the inside. We can't open it without running the risk of injuring her in the process."

Agent Coulson and Tony were halfway up the stairs when they heard banging and screaming from the room behind them. They both rushed back down the stairs to find the cryo-chamber open and empty. Coulson drew his gun as Tony quietly pulled the door closed behind him.

"Hello?" Agent Coulson whispered, peering down the rows of shelves at the back of the room. "We're not going to hurt you."

"Hey, Snow White," Tony called out, "my buddy Phil here says you knew my old man. Does Howard Stark ring any bells?"

Agent Coulson found her huddled naked in the back corner, shaking and crying. "Tony, go get a blanket!"

"He fell, he didn't hear me, he fell..." she mumbled to herself.

"Who fell? What's your name?"

"I...I don't remember," she said, looking up at Agent Coulson with bright blue eyes.


End file.
